Identifying racial gaslighting, “the political, social, economic and cultural process that perpetuates and normalizes a white supremacist reality through pathologizing those who resist” (Davis & Ernst, 2017), makes invisible racism visible. It gives us tools to name a tactic of white supremacy, disarm it, and protect our joy. 

Our 2017 award-winning article, “Racial Gaslighting,” which combines our research and lived experience as a Black woman (Angelique) and a white anti-racist co-conspirator (Rose), was published in the political science journal Politics, Groups & Identities and has since entered the public lexicon. As one of the most-read articles in the journal’s history and covered by national and international media, we saw how this work resonated deeply with so many. Our work has also received additional media attention since Merriam-Webster named ‘gaslighting’ the 2022 word of the year. We want to share these tools more widely because too many people suffer from racial gaslighting’s consequences. Since the article was published, we have facilitated dozens of talks and workshops and developed a framework that took what we theorized and broke it down into practical steps to help individuals recognize and respond to this diversionary tactic of white supremacy.

Our work centers and seeks to fortify and nourish BIPOC folx and our anti-racist co-conspirators. Plenty of work seeks to dismantle white supremacy, and while that is our goal, we recognize that commonplace, everyday racial gaslighting is often overlooked. Many, if not all, of those seeking to dismantle or simply survive racism are exhausted, sick, and beyond tired from living in a racist society that does not value their existence. Whether inside the C-Suite, on the outside as a community organizer, in the service sector, or somewhere in the middle, our work gives you tools to maintain your mental and physical health.