A Black autoethnography of grief and racial trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Battling cancer of a spouse during a worldwide pandemic is a unique phenomenon. While the world experienced hardships such as stay-at-home orders, masking mandates, or the COVID-19 infection, caregivers supported their loved ones who were diagnosed with terminal diseases. Racism compounded trauma as Black caregivers were not provided with the same level of respect and care for their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Racial trauma is experienced by Black Americans, even during the pandemic and while grieving losses of loved ones. An autoethnographic approach draws upon my lived experience of racial trauma while caring for my dying husband during the COVID-19 pandemic. This autoethnography informs the role of counselor education programs to prepare future counselors to support minoritized clients who may have suffered from systemic racism, while grieving the loss of loved ones, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and which could also have contributed to racial trauma.