Mental Health Effects of Racism and Emotional Tax in the Age of COVID-19

By Karen Kuzmowich
Ascend Canada Chief Inclusion Officer Forum member

Ten months into a pandemic, it seems we are facing a great test as a society. Not only are many areas across Canada facing second waves just as winter is beginning, but we are also taking a sharper focus on systemic racism this year.

Now, more than ever, we must pay attention to our mental health.

Many Canadians are grappling with the uncertainty, fear and anxiety COVID-19 is creating, about whether our families will get sick, how long the pandemic will last, how it will impact the economy, how it will impact our children, what will return to office look like – the list doesn’t end.

On top of this list of everyday fears and concerns that have become our new normal, Black, Asian, Indigenous and other racialized communities are facing very serious, deep cumulative impacts of COVID-19 and racism at the same time.

There is overwhelming data to show that Black, Asian and Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  Infection, mortality and job loss rates are higher in Black, Indigenous and some Asian communities, highlighting the effects of structural racism and social determinants of health.[i]

The cumulative toll of COVID-19 and racism at the same time is also uniquely affecting Chinese and Asian Canadians, who have been the targets of suspicion, discrimination, harassment and hate speech during COVID-19. As if it wasn’t enough to worry about their communities facing disparate infection and job loss rates, rhetoric about the “Chinese virus” has resulted in Chinese and Asian communities being stigmatized, seen as perceived threats to public health, scapegoated and blamed for a global pandemic.

The impact of adding very serious layers of racial anxiety to what is already a very significant public health crisis affecting people’s day-to-day mental health, is hard to fathom. My friends and colleagues who are experiencing this reality are strong and resilient, but there is already an “Emotional Tax” that People of Colour experience, before adding COVID-19 and intensified racism to the mix.

Emotional Tax is the heightened sense of feeling different from peers at work because of gender, race or ethnicity, being constantly on guard against experiences of bias, and the associated effects on health, well-being and the ability to thrive at work.  A Catalyst study conducted with the support of Ascend Canada, Empowering Workplaces Combat Emotional Tax for People of Colour in Canada, found that 33%-50% of Black, East Asian, and South Asian professionals reported feeling highly on guard against bias, which emerges from enduring acts of bias and discrimination in workplaces and society. The report found that these high levels of Emotional Tax pose concerning risks to employee wellbeing, health and productivity. For example, 22%-42% of people highly on guard against bias report high rates of sleep problems, and many people consider leaving their jobs or report hiding their true identities and unique selves to self-protect against Emotional Tax.