Systemic trauma is a perspective that extends the traditionally narrow view of trauma into a framework that includes systems, institutions, and contextual factors into the conceptualization of trauma. This framework captures the effects of racism, systemic barriers (e.g., racial climate, cultural mistrust, stereotype threat), and contextual factors (e.g., technology, social media) as these mechanisms inform experiences of trauma for marginalized populations. Some scholars argue that there is a need for research that conceptualizes sy/stemic racism as a way to capture the intensity of the corresponding stress and to draw attention to the impact of cumulative, vicarious, and intergenerational effects. Conceptualizing racism through the lens of systemic trauma provides an opportunity to enhance how we understand the impacts of racism, as it encompasses contextual factors that amplify Black Americans’ experiences in the current sociopolitical climate. This article highlights Black students’ experiences of racism, the manifestation of trauma symptoms, systemic barriers, and contextual factors that amplify such experiences and possible effects on their psychological and academic functioning. In this theoretical article, systemic trauma is used as a framework to conceptualize racism, describe how Black students experience systemic trauma, offer a case illustration, and provide clinical interventions and suggestions that foster transformation and posttraumatic growth.

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