ABSTRACT
A distinct moment of awareness of my own experience with Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) (Smith, 2008) happened while talking with a small group of students following a class in which we had just discussed social constructions of race. A student of color asked me how I was able to manage talking about race in the classroom, a topic he said he usually avoided and was afraid to discuss. The tone of his voice—one of astonishment—when he asked me his question made me feel that my ability to discuss race was some kind of superpower. I could feel tears forming in my eyes. As I tried to articulate a response, I was thinking of my own experiences of fear, pain, tension, and anxiety when navigating and discussing racial dynamics inside and outside of academia.
