As a a woman of colour or black woman, I have gone through many experiences of racism in different settings. The impact of these racial discrimination or motivated driven experiences has left a mark psychologically and emotionally on me.

From accessing all public and health services such as jobs, education and health care to name a few, I have had time to process it all now am 40 years old. This is why I would like racism to be recognised as a form of psychological abuse and emotional abuse as it is a traumatic experience.

Although it is traumatising to experience any form of racism, there is lack of understanding that it is abuse. Recognising as such would help people understand what they are doing,albeit being racist or acting in a any racist manner is abuse. As abuse is legally wrong, having people recognise they are abusing someone by being racist will help clarify to them they are breaking the law and being abusive which is morally and ethically wrong. When people become conscious to such behaviours and attitudes, it will elevate racism in our societies as a whole.

Therefore, I am starting a petition to make racism fully recognised as psychological abuse and emotional abuse as am tired of experiencing it and the negative feelings it leaves behind of myself after every experience.

I am coming from a place where I have been verbally and luckily only one experience of racially motivated physical abuse. I call it lucky because my bicycle got the brunt of it as I used it to protect me from being kicked after verbal racist comments. My bike ended up being repaired to say the least. This incident was unprovoked and as was attacked out of the blue dropping my kid off to school one morning. So not lucky at all but lucky was never physically hurt. So for me after on many always unprovoked experiences, I am petitioning that it should be legally recognised as psychological and emotional abuse first so it does not lead to physical abuse as it did once in my case.

This way people will understand to be conscious of their wrong doings in attitude, discrimination in public services, education and jobs that they are abusing someone. A legal or formal recognition would ensure people are protected from the trauma of racism psychologically, emotionally and physical with all the negative impacts racial treatment such as discrimination brings with it. The biggest one is financial freedom due to not being able to access employment. The second biggest impact is education attainment for children and adults as racial experiences impact our children’s wellbeing presently and affects their future possibilities to be independent successfully and create financial freedom as adults.

So please sign this petition to bring positive change for people of colour or black minorities.

This will also help people to stop assuming that people in general cry racism every time and use it against individuals. If it is fully recognised as psychological abuse or emotional abuse, there will not be a need to call a person racist but a need to call out psychological and emotional abuse first because it is.

Racism is debilitating to the recipients psychological and emotionally and it leaves a mark. The Post traumatic experiences recipients have to deal with negatively impacts self esteem and confidence on the individual. It is also the biggest cause of mental health problems as low educational attainment based on discrimination not performance obliterates one’s confidence and trust in the same system that is meant to help you have a bright future. The same goes for financial freedom as due to not being able to equally have jobs due to first, not having the right qualifications or being discriminated against when you want equal access to jobs to give you financial freedom or get that job you deserve after putting so much effort in your studies or work experience. It leaves you feeling worthless. That feeling can lead to psychological distress and wellbeing as a whole.

To put it simply, it is psychological and emotional abuse. So validating racism as such will have a positive impact on people’s health.