Recently, I learned that the title of my book Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit, has been co-opted by people in some social media spaces, who are claiming to have “Black Fatigue” due to being “fatigued” by interacting with Black people. This controversy began when a white TikToker posted a now-deleted viral video ranting that white people are fed up with Black folks’ “ghetto” behavior, entitlement, victimhood, and blaming slavery for our current problems. I wanted to use this opportunity to set the record straight about the true meaning of this concept.
Black Fatigue is defined in the book as: “repeated variations of stress that result in extreme exhaustion and cause mental, physical, and spiritual maladies that are passed down from generation to generation. It is a deeply embedded fatigue that takes inordinate amounts of energy to overcome—herculean efforts to sustain an optimistic outlook and enormous amounts of faith to continue to believe ‘we shall overcome someday.'”
On a related note, we are excited to share that a second edition of Black Fatigue will be coming! Please stay tuned for updates on opportunities to inform content in the second edition, which will continue to highlight the truth of our lived experiences.
About the Author
Mary-Frances Winters, founder and CEO of The Winters Group, Inc. is a master strategist with over 40 years experience in strategic planning, change management, diversity, organization development, training and facilitation, systems thinking and qualitative and quantitative research methods. She has extensive experience in working with senior leadership teams to drive organizational change. Described by clients as highly creative, collaborative, visionary and results oriented, she is a sought after keynote speaker and workshop leader.
