Racial battle fatigue (RBF) is often framed as an individual problem, something to be managed through mindfulness, rest, or self-care. Yet the “fatigue” is not the result of personal shortcomings but of social structures that continually demand racial endurance. While self-care remains important, addressing racial battle fatigue requires a sociological perspective that examines how institutions, cultural norms, and systemic inequalities create environments that exhaust People of Color. RBF is often framed as an individual problem, something to be managed through mindfulness, rest, or self-care. Yet the “fatigue” is not the result of personal shortcomings but of social structures that continually demand racial endurance. While self-care remains important, addressing racial battle fatigue requires a sociological perspective that examines how institutions, cultural norms, and systemic inequalities create environments that exhaust people of color.
The Social Roots of Racial Battle Fatigue
Coined in 2008 by critical race theorist William Smith, racial battle fatigue is the cumulative result of a natural race-related stress response. It emerges from the distressing mental and emotional conditions that arise from constantly navigating racially dismissive, demeaning, and hostile environments. People of Color experience daily battles in predominantly White spaces, where the anticipation and reality of racism, stereotypes, and discrimination contribute to this chronic fatigue.
There are two sociological theories that inform this concept. The first, structural racism, refers to the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination through interconnected systems of housing, education, employment, earnings, benefits, credit, media, healthcare, and criminal justice. The second, everyday racism, coined by sociologist Philomena Essed, refers to the routine and normalized practices in society that disadvantage ethnic minorities. Unlike overt racist incidents, it highlights how discrimination is embedded in daily interactions and institutional structures, making it appear ordinary.
These theories reflect everyday life. For example, in workplaces, schools, and sports teams, “diversity” is often celebrated superficially while racialized power hierarchies remain intact, forcing People of Color to constantly navigate microaggressions and exclusion.
Institutions as Sites of Racial Strain
Institutions reproduce racial battle fatigue through policies, culture, and representations that uphold White dominant norms. Historically, organizational structures have privileged White individuals while marginalizing People of Color, creating systemic barriers to equity and inclusion. In academia and professional fields, White male figures are often positioned as the intellectual “fathers” of disciplines such as psychology and sociology, while the foundational contributions of scholars of color remain overlooked or minimized. Educational materials also reflect this imbalance, frequently featuring White individuals in most images, case studies, and narratives. These omissions are not neutral; they reinforce racial hierarchies and perpetuate environments in which Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience chronic racial stress. As a result, institutions such as universities, government agencies, and hospitals become sites where racial battle fatigue is not only experienced but also structurally sustained.
Institutional expectations of racial performance also intensify this fatigue by valuing assimilation over authenticity. BIPOC individuals are often expected to conform to White cultural norms to be perceived as “professional,” “approachable,” or “credible.” This pressure to constantly manage one’s identity can lead to emotional exhaustion and disconnection from one’s cultural roots. A sociological theory that captures this dynamic is Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical approach, which compares social interaction to a theatrical performance. Goffman theorizes that individuals act as performers who carefully construct roles to maintain social acceptance and avoid disapproval. In predominantly White spaces, People of Color may feel compelled to engage in a form of “racial performance,” suppressing parts of themselves to align with dominant expectations. Over time, this constant self-monitoring and impression management deepens racial battle fatigue, making even everyday interactions emotionally taxing.
The Limits of Self-Care Narratives
Mainstream self-care discourse often places the burden of managing racial stress on individuals rather than situating the problem within broader structural forces. Research published in the National Library of Medicine database highlights how self-care is framed as a personal responsibility for those experiencing racial trauma or chronic exposure to discrimination. While these practices, such as mindfulness, therapy, and relaxation, can be beneficial, emphasizing individual solutions risks obscuring the fact that racial stress arises from unequal systems and institutional inequities that self-care alone cannot dismantle.
A critical lens reveals that self-care functions as a patch for survival within unjust systems rather than as a strategy for transforming those systems. Under neoliberalism, policies and cultural norms increasingly expect individuals to manage risk, optimize productivity, and engage in self-improvement instead of demanding changes to power structures. The Roosevelt Institute notes that neoliberalism rewrites the rules so that certain groups, typically White, wealthy, and powerful, benefit, while racialized communities face greater barriers and stress. In this way the burden of racial battle fatigue should not rest solely on those living it. It is not enough for individuals to cope; institutions and systems must change.
Collective Healing and Structural Change
Collective resistance, community care, and institutional accountability represent transformative alternatives to the individualized notion of self-care within unjust systems. Social justice movements thrive not through isolated acts of resilience but through solidarity, mutual aid, and organized collective action. When individuals unite to resist and care for one another, they reclaim power from systems designed to divide and exhaust them. Research supports this approach, showing that collective healing and community-based frameworks are more effective in addressing racialized trauma than individual coping strategies. Institutional accountability is equally crucial, as it ensures that the responsibility for justice does not fall solely on those who have been most harmed. Although remaining silent or uninvolved may seem safer, true empowerment emerges when communities come together to resist oppression and build systems of care. Through this shared purpose, we rediscover the healing and generative potential of collective bonds, moving from a framework of mere survival toward one of dignity, connection, and liberation.
In 2024, the National Library of Medicine published a study affirming that mentoring — in all its forms, including hierarchical, peer, and group — can buffer the negative effects of racial trauma at individual, organizational, and societal levels. Mentoring relationships have been shown to mitigate the impact of toxic workplaces, improve supervisory relationships, and promote leadership development among African American professionals. Peer mentoring creates safe spaces for identity-related conversations and mutual validation among members of marginalized groups. These findings highlight the power of community-based care and resistance, where relationships and institutional structures serve as vehicles for healing rather than harm. The burden of racial fatigue should not rest on individual survivors alone. Instead, we must envision and build networks of collective support that demand accountability, redistribute power, and foster environments in which well-being and justice are shared responsibilities.
From Coping to Change: Building Systems of Care
Combating racial battle fatigue requires a fundamental shift from individual coping to systemic transformation. For far too long, the responsibility for managing the psychological, emotional, and physiological effects of racism has been placed on those who endure it, as though perseverance alone could solve the problem. While self-care and resilience are important tools for survival, they do not dismantle the structures that sustain racial inequities. Addressing racial battle fatigue involves moving beyond the question, “How do I cope?” and instead asking, “How do we change the system that causes this?”
This shift calls for institutions, particularly within academic and athletic spaces, to take genuine accountability for the racialized climates they uphold. It requires reimagining institutional policies, practices, and cultures so that inclusion extends beyond symbolic gestures or diversity statements and becomes embedded in the daily operations of these systems. Real transformation occurs when commitment to equity is reflected in who is represented, who holds power, and whose voices shape decision-making. Creating environments where Black individuals and other marginalized groups can thrive means prioritizing structural inclusion, authentic representation, and shared responsibility. Progress begins when inclusion is no longer performative but becomes an active, measurable, and lived reality. When justice and belonging are treated not as aspirations but as expectations, institutions move closer to becoming spaces that truly nurture the well-being and potential of all people.
Irons is a guest blogger at UITAC Publishing. UITAC’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable, and socially responsible online course materials.
Images used in this blog:
- “Walkarounds in Amsterdam.” by Max van den Oetelaar is free to use under the Unsplash License. This image has not been altered.
- “A sign on the wall” by Ava Sol is free to use under the Unsplash License. This image has not been altered.
