By Marissa Wells
Contributing Writer
“Black Men and Racial Trauma: Impacts, Disparities and Interventions,” by Yamonte Cooper, is an insightful book that addresses the racial trauma of Black males and their marginalization through health disparities, carceral state mechanisms, economic deprivation, dehumanization, intimate partner violence/homicide, sexual victimization, suicide, and Black male death and dying.
“My book was inspired by a combination of observation, personal experience and the glaring absence of research — informed resources that truly address this issue,” Cooper said. “Seeing the impact of these challenges firsthand, I felt compelled to fill that gap and shed light on a topic that has long been overlooked.”
Within the book, Cooper addresses racial trauma from a clinical lens. He uses specific definitions of racism before exploring the unique challenges faced by Black men, the culturally specific stressors and coping mechanisms these men use. After thoroughly addressing racial trauma, the book offers insights into responsive care and clinical interventions that may be used to guide treatment approaches.
“I wrote this book because there was a glaring absence of works that specifically address the vulnerability of Black men and the reality of racial trauma,” Cooper said.
“Black Men and Racial Trauma” will no doubt move readers as it addresses a topic that is not often discussed.
“My intended audience includes therapists and the general public — anyone seeking to better understand the unique challenges Black men face and the institutional decimation that structures their lives,” said Cooper. The book has also piqued the interest of educators and is being used as resource in classrooms.
“I hope readers come away with a deeper understanding that Black men are a uniquely vulnerable population, intentionally targeted through systemic economic oppression and lethal violence,” said the author. “This targeting isn’t just about race — it’s about being Black and male (anti-Black misandry).”
In addition to being an author and scholar, Cooper is a professor of counseling, adjunct professor of clinical psychology, clinical director of the West Coast Sex Therapy Center, licensed professional clinical counselor and certified sex therapist supervisor.
He is based in Los Angeles. He will be featured on a panel at the Bay Area Book Festival on June 1. For information about the author and his work, visit yamontecooper.com.
“Black Men and Racial Trauma: Impacts, Disparities and Interventions” is available for $33 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Routledge.
