A phenomenological analysis of the psychological impact of Black women environmental activists' resistance to environmental racism

• Published in: Journal of counseling psychology 2025-02
• Main Authors: Shodiya-Zeumault, Shola, DeBlaere, Cirleen, Branyan, Helen F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activism; Black People; Communities; Female; Human; Human Females; Oppression; Racism; Social Change; Well Being
• ISSN: 0022-0167; 1939-2168
• DOI: 10.1037/cou0000786

Environmental racism (ER), or the disproportionate burden of environmental toxins in racially marginalized communities (e.g., Chavis, 1994), has been associated with poor mental health and well-being (e.g., Power et al., 2015). Historically, Black American women have strategized and labored to bring about environmental equity and justice in their communities and to facilitate social change (Collins, 2009). However, explorations of the impact of their resistance on their mental health outcomes are largely absent within psychological literature. This study, grounded in Black Feminist Ecological Thought, captures and outlines Black women environmental activist's perspectives on their resistance strategies and the influence of their resistance on the well-being of themselves and their communities. Implementing an interpretive phenomenological analysis, themes of (a) spanning beyond defined boundaries to resist environmental degradation; (b) the nonlinear pathways between environmental activism and well-being; and (c) intentional community as critical for persistence in environmental activism arose out of the in-depth interviews conducted. Findings can be used as a foundation for continued exploration into the psychological, emotional, and spiritual benefits of resistance to oppression among Black American women and for the inclusion of ER as an important contributor to racial stress among other forms of systemic oppression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).