During a global crisis that is supposed to be the “ great equalizer ,” the inequalities between Black people and everyone else have become even more vast. A deadly disease is killing our elders and shattering our communities. That’s true for everyone around the world. But for Black people in the U.S. and Canada, the emotional toll of this virus is compounded by the pandemic of racism. Numerous studies show that repeatedly witnessing Black death has devastating effects on our mental health . The trauma from decades of oppression lives in our bodies . The tax on our mental wellbeing cannot be quantified. Black trauma festers and spreads. It infects and kills. It is exhausting beyond comprehension. And yet, we get out of bed and go to work. We take our bonnets off and hop on Zoom. Even when we are not okay , we have to be. We take to social media to plead for our lives with white people. We appeal to allies to be better, to do more. We mourn together. We express our anger. We cry. We fight. We hold each other up, with joy and laughter and our unbeatable culture. We know we’re not alone. But we also know this will never end. And that hopelessness we feel? It’s normal.