ABSTRACT
Marquis and Anastasia’s experiences are unique in many ways, and yet their experiences are an example of how when a crisis hits the United States, it affects the African American community harder than the majority population. Marquis’s history is influenced by race and trauma, and these experiences have made him uniquely self-reliant, reactive to being misjudged and too often socially alone. Anastasia’s history is influenced by attachment injury and trauma, and these experiences have influenced her to be both anxious, reactive to unfairness, and on guard for social isolation. The stories about African Americans historically have described pain, hardship, and survival; Marquis’s life story reflects this. The negative cycle limits the depths of their emotional engagement. There have been brief moments, however, when there seems to be enough emotional safety between them and then another positive cycle emerges.
