Q & A
Dr. Donna Y. Ford @donnayford
The Need to Address School-Based Trauma for Black Students

Dr. Michael Robinson: You recently wrote an article about the need to support Black students when they are further traumatized in school. What motivated you to share your thoughts on the issue of school-based trauma?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: I am a counselor at heart, which falls under the title of educator for me personally and professionally. I write from the experiences in my life as a former student, mother, aunt, and grandmother. I wrote this particular article due to being swamped and smothered by so much trauma in schools, especially against Black students. The pieces I referenced (a very short list) caused me to recall several unforgettable students who were done a great and grave disservice by educators. They were very young and so vulnerable; I could have shared other examples with older students. The injustices tore at my heart and compelled me to fight harder against racism and classism in P-12 education.
Dr. Michael Robinson: To what extent do you believe the disproportionate numbers of suspensions for Black students equates to school-based trauma?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: I have not one iota of doubt that the egregious rates of discipline in the form of suspension and expulsion play a significant role in trauma imposed on Black students by educators. There are so many reports, studies, case studies, and national data to deny this troubling and disturbing reality is impossible. Students come to school to learn and schools must be a safe place or haven for all. This is not the case for Black students of all ages. Racism cannot be denied.
Dr. Michael Robinson: How do you see educators who lack compassion contributing to the culture of school-based trauma for Black students?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: I am convinced that compassion is absent among far too many educators – the vast majority of whom are White (around 85%). Those who harbor racism and racial and other forms of discrimination must leave the profession. Frankly, they should never have entered this field. Children/students are vulnerable and need advocates, not those who despise them and hold negative expectations for them just because they are Black. Culturally responsive and anti-racist training is critical and non-negotiable to detail the racialized and traumatizing school-to-prison pipeline.
Dr. Michael Robinson: How does racial trauma impact the academic growth and development of Black students?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: Trauma of every type compromises the development of all students. Racial trauma cannot be trivialized and denied for the serious harm it does to students of color. Colorblind, or what I call culture-blind models of effective, social, and psychological development are woefully ineffective and unjust.
Click here to read Supporting Black Students When They are Further Traumatized in School
(published in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education)
Dr. Donna Y. Ford is a Distinguished Professor of Education and Human Ecology and Kirwan Institute Faculty Affiliate at The Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology.
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: I am a counselor at heart, which falls under the title of educator for me personally and professionally. I write from the experiences in my life as a former student, mother, aunt, and grandmother. I wrote this particular article due to being swamped and smothered by so much trauma in schools, especially against Black students. The pieces I referenced (a very short list) caused me to recall several unforgettable students who were done a great and grave disservice by educators. They were very young and so vulnerable; I could have shared other examples with older students. The injustices tore at my heart and compelled me to fight harder against racism and classism in P-12 education.
Dr. Michael Robinson: To what extent do you believe the disproportionate numbers of suspensions for Black students equates to school-based trauma?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: I have not one iota of doubt that the egregious rates of discipline in the form of suspension and expulsion play a significant role in trauma imposed on Black students by educators. There are so many reports, studies, case studies, and national data to deny this troubling and disturbing reality is impossible. Students come to school to learn and schools must be a safe place or haven for all. This is not the case for Black students of all ages. Racism cannot be denied.
Dr. Michael Robinson: How do you see educators who lack compassion contributing to the culture of school-based trauma for Black students?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: I am convinced that compassion is absent among far too many educators – the vast majority of whom are White (around 85%). Those who harbor racism and racial and other forms of discrimination must leave the profession. Frankly, they should never have entered this field. Children/students are vulnerable and need advocates, not those who despise them and hold negative expectations for them just because they are Black. Culturally responsive and anti-racist training is critical and non-negotiable to detail the racialized and traumatizing school-to-prison pipeline.
Dr. Michael Robinson: How does racial trauma impact the academic growth and development of Black students?
Dr. Donna Y. Ford: Trauma of every type compromises the development of all students. Racial trauma cannot be trivialized and denied for the serious harm it does to students of color. Colorblind, or what I call culture-blind models of effective, social, and psychological development are woefully ineffective and unjust.
Click here to read Supporting Black Students When They are Further Traumatized in School
(published in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education)
Dr. Donna Y. Ford is a Distinguished Professor of Education and Human Ecology and Kirwan Institute Faculty Affiliate at The Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology.