Warning: The 2024 Presidential Race Is Hazardous to Your Mental Health

By Jennifer Porter Gore | Word In BlackOverview: Researchers have linked microaggressions to depression and anxiety as well as physical ailments like diabetes and heart disease.(WIB) – At the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago last month, former President Donald Trump insinuated that Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Jamaican and South Asian heritage, isn’t Black. The audience gasped; Harris, the Democrats’ presidential nominee, has long identified as Black, is an HBCU graduate and a member of a storied Black sorority. The Black journalists interviewing Trump, Harris’ Republican opponent, pushed back hard, but he doubled down on the assertion.& Pushing racist boundaries has been a staple of Trump’s political rhetoric, since he questioned the citizenship of former President Barack Obama. He’ll likely dial that tactic up to 11 against Harris, who has a slim lead over Trump in several key polls.& Frankly, It’s all a bit wearying. But it’s also sadly familiar to most Black people who regularly experience microaggressions — racist slights, backhanded compliments and insults, usually camouflaged in polite language. Having a white coworker compliment how well you speak, or a white stranger asking to touch your hair can trigger anxiety and depression, says Dr....