How to Distinguish Racelighting From Gaslighting

Darren is a black man and a successful manager in a local business. One day he walked up the stairs behind his boss. Darren doesn’t say hello because Andrew is on the phone. Andrew is a white male and has been with the company for years. Andrew failed to notice Darren standing behind him and labeled another black employee a racial slur and “a threat”. Darren immediately asks Andrew why he used those words. Trying to protect himself, Andrew chooses to deny his actions. He argues insatiably that Darren “misunderstood” him and “puts words in his mouth.” After this exchange, Darren is frustrated and sad, but has no intention of telling others or taking the issue further. In contrast, Andrew is concerned that Darren is telling others and people think he’s a racist, so he sets out to marginalize Andrew by making him out to be a liar. Andrew goes to his desk and emails Darren asking him to file a report now, which is due next week. Darren writes back noting the intended date of filing but that he will expedite now and receive the report tomorrow. Andrew responds back, noting that Darren should “follow the expected guidelines” and “be honest.”

Gaslighting is a form of psychological control with malicious intent. In gaslighting, the perpetrators try to systematically provide their victims with false information. This is meant to manipulate the victim by distorting their reality and making them question their memories and realities. The term comes from the 1938 play, gas light, written by Patrick Hamilton. There are two main characters in the play, Jack and Bella. Jack is the villain and tries to psychologically manipulate Bella into believing she is going delusional. On numerous occasions, he hides items (e.g., paintings, cutlery, watches) and then accuses Bella of stealing them. He openly flirts with her maid. When Bella protests his actions, he vigorously denies them and suggests that Bella make something up. He even suggests that the gaslights in their house are not dimmed, when in fact they are. These messages are delivered with such truthfulness and authenticity that Bella believes she is actually losing her mind. Gaslighting can occur in relationships between partners, but it can also be a function of racism. When gaslighting is racist, we call it racelighting. However, there are several factors that differentiate racelighting from gaslighting.

Racelighting is an act of psychological manipulation in which Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) receive racist messages that distort their reality and cause them to question themselves. When this occurs, it can cause BIPOC to question their memories, experiences, emotions, preparation, knowledge, decision-making, and self-esteem. In this story by Darren we see that he experiences racelighting from Andrew. Andrew is actively trying to advance a narrative that makes Darren question his own “honesty” and “integrity.” As we learn more about this story, we will show that this is an example of racelighting where Andrew’s intent is clear. This brings us to the first difference between racelighting and gaslighting. Racelighting messages can be sent consciously from perpetrator to victim, as in the cases of Bella and Darren. Whenever a perpetrator intends to cast doubt and disorient the racelightee, we refer to this as active racelighting. This is the closest thing to the game gas light regarding Jack and Bella’s relationship. However, racelighting can also occur unconsciously. When the offender’s actions are informed by unconscious bias, they can unknowingly sow doubt and disorient the racelightee. We refer to this as passive racing lighting. Passive racelighting can be in response to an accumulation of racial microaggressions in an environment. BIPOC can be tempted to question themselves because of pervasive stereotypes about them and their daily experiences of microaggression.

Following the racial slur incident, Andrew routinely makes attempts to psychologically manipulate Darren. He constantly pushes back project deadlines and timelines, he gives Darren bad information about projects, he routinely tells Darren to “be honest and with integrity,” and every time Darren says something inaccurate, Andrew accuses Darren of being untrue. Andrew spreads rumors about Darrens among his peers, calling him “cheating” and “silly”. Shortly thereafter, Darren’s department turns against him. Stereotypes about black male crime make the situation more believable. Similarly, they use these words to speak about him among themselves and in public. Any time Darren tries to bring up issues with his mistreatment of others, he is assumed to be untrustworthy. Darren feels under fire and makes more and more mistakes. Andrew takes a sign of a door and accuses Darren of stealing it. When Darren maintains his innocence, Andrew notes that Darren can be “deceptive” at times. After this incident, every mistake Darren makes is amplified to fit into this broader narrative of his honesty and integrity.

A second key factor that differentiates between racelighting and gaslighting is the centrality of race and racism. Racelighting messages have to be racist. Messages and actions designed to put BIPOC in the spotlight may be those that expand stereotypes about BIPOC as a troublemaker, unintelligent and inept, or emotionally unstable. They may also contain messages denying the existence of, and experiences of, racism. Not all racist remarks and racist microaggressions are race lights, however; The crucial question is whether the news itself serves to psychologically manipulate and distort the realities of BIPOC.

Darren feels he cannot contribute to any conversations at work because everything he says is now subject to intense scrutiny and is deemed to be misleading. He notices how his colleagues look at him suspiciously. Darren begins to think that maybe he’s a “problem” or “not right for his job” and “too loose with his words”. He questions his own honesty and integrity. He doubts and doubts everything, at work and sometimes even at home. He now has trouble sleeping at night and is becoming increasingly frustrated. Just a few months after the Andrew incident, Darren resigned and switched jobs. After he leaves, he is blamed for every problem in the department, even for projects he wasn’t involved with.

In this narrative we see that Darren’s experience of racelighting begins with Andrew but is reinforced by his own peers. This is a third way in which race lighting can differ from gas lighting. While gaslighting is usually directed between a gaslighter and their victim, racelighting can take place at an individual or group level. This means that someone may experience racelighting from multiple racelighters, some of which may be active racelighters and some may be passive racelighters. Additionally, race lighting can be limited to a single racer, as in the case of Darren. However, there may also be instances where multiple BIPOCs in a specific group setting (e.g., department, classroom, hospital, team) are verbally abused by their peers. This can happen because racism is both an individual experience and a community experience. Ultimately, racelighting can be a powerful experience designed to harm BIPOC.