Racelighting Black, Indigenous and People of Color in education: a conceptual framework

• Date: 31 January 2024
• Pages: 400-409
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-01-2023-0038
• Published date: 31 January 2024
• Author: J. Luke Wood,Frank Harris III

Racelighting Black, Indigenous

and People of Color in education:

a conceptual framework

J. Luke Wood and Frank Harris III

College of Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA

Abstract

Purpose –This article provides an overviews of the concept of racelighting. Racelighting is “is an act of

psychological manipulation where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) receive racial messages that

lead them to second-guess their lived experiences with racism”

Design/methodology/approach –This conceptual paper articulates four primary ways that racelighting

manifests in the lives and experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

Findings –There are four common messages that often lead to racelighting: stereotype advancement,

resistive actions, inauthentic allyship and misrepresenting the past.

Originality/value –While much has been written about gaslighting, few frameworks articulate how

gaslighting occurs in a racialized context.

Keywords Critical, Racial discrimination, Microaggressions, Racelighting

Paper type Conceptual paper

In the year 2020, the salience of race and racism in the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous

and People of Color (BIPOC) became more widely known and discussed in mainstream USA and

global discourse than they had been perhaps since the civil rights movement. Of course, this

salience of race in 2020 can be attributed to the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor

and Ahmaud Abrey, Tony McDade and Sean Reed (to name some).

During this same time, in May of 2020, Christian Cooper, an African American birder was the

victimin another high-profile incidentof racismand when Amy Cooper(no relationto Christian),

a white woman who was walking her dog off a leash in New York’s CentralPark, was asked by

Christianto put her dog on a leash.Amy Cooper was seenon video threateningto call the police

on Christian and falsely reporting: “I am going to tell them there’s an African American man

threatening my life,”even though Christian had made no threatening actions nor statements

(based on what was seen in the video and reported after the incident) (Hays and Kryska, 2020,

para 7). Amy Cooper was attempting to activatea long-standing racialstereotype about Black

men –that they are aggressive, dangerous and to be feared –especially by a white woman.

Moreover,relaying this to thepolice, who has a long andvicious history of brutally victimizing

Black men, washer attempt to create a dangerous, if not deadly, situation forChristian.

Fortunately, this interaction between Amy and Christian was video recorded, which

provided some protection and vindication for him. Yet despite this, there were some in the

public who wondered and asked what Christian did to raise the level of anger and concern for

Amy that was seen in the video. Comments like “What did he do?”and “Why didn’the just

stop recording?”or “Why did he say something to her?”were common in the public discourse

about this incident. Similar attempts at victim-blaming occurred after George Floyd, Breonna

Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery deaths. “Why was George high of meth and trying to use a

counterfeit bill?”“Why was Breonna dating an alleged drug dealer?”Why was Ahmaud

running suspiciously through a white neighborhood?”One must wonder how Christian

EDI

43,3

400

Since submission of this article, the following author have updated their affiliation: J. Luke Wood is at

Sacramento State University, Sacramento, California, USA.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 27 January 2023

Revised 10 November 2023

Accepted 13 December 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 3, 2024

pp. 400-409

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-01-2023-0038