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Black Trauma in the US and the Pursuit of Human Rights: A Brief History

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Abstract

In the US, Black people or People of African Descent (PAD) have experienced significant oppression and hardship as a result of racist US government policies, similar to the state-sanctioned violence experienced by European Jews and Native Americans. These state-sanctioned acts led to the manifestation of historical trauma that is passed down to each successive generation. While domestic efforts at addressing the civil right issues facing PAD abound, less is known about the efforts to bring the plight of PAD in the US to the international community for redress under the umbrella of human rights. This chapter addresses the intersection of trauma and human rights for PAD in the US by shedding light on attempts to hold the US accountable for the treatment of PAD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Christopher St. Vil & Noelle M. St. Vil

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  1. Christopher St. Vil
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  2. Noelle M. St. Vil
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Correspondence to Noelle M. St. Vil .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Lisa D. Butler

  2. School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Filomena M. Critelli

  3. Department of Social Work, Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA, USA

    Janice Carello

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St. Vil, C., St. Vil, N.M. (2019). Black Trauma in the US and the Pursuit of Human Rights: A Brief History. In: Butler, L.D., Critelli, F.M., Carello, J. (eds) Trauma and Human Rights. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16395-2_5

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