diff --git a/Include/object.h b/Include/object.h
index c69becec51a..71d9dc8f762 100644
--- a/Include/object.h
+++ b/Include/object.h
@@ -560,6 +560,10 @@ typedef struct {
 } _Py_HashSecret_t;
 PyAPI_DATA(_Py_HashSecret_t) _Py_HashSecret;
 
+#ifdef Py_DEBUG
+PyAPI_DATA(int) _Py_HashSecret_Initialized;
+#endif
+
 /* Helper for passing objects to printf and the like */
 #define PyObject_REPR(obj) _PyUnicode_AsString(PyObject_Repr(obj))
 
diff --git a/Objects/object.c b/Objects/object.c
index bb18d471912..2665d2135fc 100644
--- a/Objects/object.c
+++ b/Objects/object.c
@@ -763,6 +763,7 @@ _Py_HashBytes(unsigned char *p, Py_ssize_t len)
       We make the hash of the empty string be 0, rather than using
       (prefix ^ suffix), since this slightly obfuscates the hash secret
     */
+    assert(_Py_HashSecret_Initialized);
     if (len == 0) {
         return 0;
     }
diff --git a/Objects/unicodeobject.c b/Objects/unicodeobject.c
index 75e9923f0d7..a42aad9ade2 100644
--- a/Objects/unicodeobject.c
+++ b/Objects/unicodeobject.c
@@ -11214,6 +11214,7 @@ unicode_hash(PyObject *self)
     Py_ssize_t len;
     Py_uhash_t x;
 
+    assert(_Py_HashSecret_Initialized);
     if (_PyUnicode_HASH(self) != -1)
         return _PyUnicode_HASH(self);
     if (PyUnicode_READY(self) == -1)
diff --git a/Python/random.c b/Python/random.c
index 01cd83aa564..a2ae002261a 100644
--- a/Python/random.c
+++ b/Python/random.c
@@ -5,7 +5,11 @@
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #endif
 
-static int random_initialized = 0;
+#ifdef Py_DEBUG
+int _Py_HashSecret_Initialized = 0;
+#else
+static int _Py_HashSecret_Initialized = 0;
+#endif
 
 #ifdef MS_WINDOWS
 typedef BOOL (WINAPI *CRYPTACQUIRECONTEXTA)(HCRYPTPROV *phProv,\
@@ -246,11 +250,11 @@ _PyRandom_Init(void)
 {
     char *env;
     void *secret = &_Py_HashSecret;
-    Py_ssize_t secret_size = sizeof(_Py_HashSecret);
+    Py_ssize_t secret_size = sizeof(_Py_HashSecret_t);
 
-    if (random_initialized)
+    if (_Py_HashSecret_Initialized)
         return;
-    random_initialized = 1;
+    _Py_HashSecret_Initialized = 1;
 
     /*
       By default, hash randomization is disabled, and only