One of the most insidious and pervasive symptoms of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is our adoption of the slave master’s value system. At this value system’s foundation is the belief that white and all things associated with whiteness are superior; and that black and all things associated with blackness are inferior. Through the centuries of slavery and the decades of institutionalized oppression that followed, many African Americans have, in essence, been socialized to be something akin to white racists. Many of us have adopted the attitudes and views of a white, racist America. Many of us see ourselves, and our community through a white lens. We both mold ourselves to accommodate white prejudices and endeavor to adopt their standards.

Dr. Joy Degruy, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome