When George Floyd was murdered about three years ago, the protests surrounding his death forced me to examine my biases and experiences in working with people of colour (POC).
With February being Black History Month, I wanted to write a post to share my thoughts on this topic.
Be Aware of Your Biases
Over the years, I’ve attended several workshops on multicultural counselling and working with POC. One of the messages repeated in these workshops is the importance of awareness of your biases and internalized racism.
One thing I do to remain conscious of my internalized racism and racial biases is to reflect on the different systems and institutions I’ve been immersed in throughout my life.
Here are some examples of what I mean.
Reflecting on My White Sources of Knowledge and Lived Experiences
1. Education System.
I have spent more than half of my life in school, from kindergarten to completing my Ph.D. Therefore, it would be accurate to say that my first job as an adult was to be a full-time student.
And when I look at the instructors I’ve had in all those years of schooling, about 99% of my instructors were white.Furthermore, the books I read in all those courses were mainly written by white authors, published by white publishers, and edited by white editors.
Also, most of my classmates throughout school were white and from a Western-European background (e.g., Portuguese, Italian).
So, when you look at all the things I’ve learned in school, the sources of that knowledge came from the perspective of privileged white people. Other than a few lectures or a few chapters in a book here and there, it was rare for me to hear about the experiences of POC.
Even today, with few exceptions, the educational system, school boards, and academic institutions in Western countries are operated by people from a white background.
2. Legal System.
I’ve lived in many cities, and white people mostly created the laws in each. The politicians who made those laws were white, and the citizens who voiced their concerns and wanted such laws to be implemented were also predominantly white.
And when someone breaks the law, most judges, lawyers, and those working in the legal system are also white.
3. Entertainment and Television.
When I wasn’t studying, reading, or going to class, I’d hang out with mostly white friends in predominantly white neighborhoods and at clubs and bars where the owners, managers, and employees were primarily white.
And even today, when I come home and plop myself down on a couch to watch television, the shows and movies I watch are predominantly produced, written, and directed by white people and white star actors.
I can only think of a handful of films or television shows in my lifetime where the main actors were POC.
When I think of just these three systems or institutions and the impact it’s had on my life – on all of our lives – it’s impossible for our opinions, perspectives, and understanding of race and culture not to be impacted by whiteness.
Start by Reflecting on Your Experiences
My goal for writing this post is to highlight how a dominant white perspective influences a person’s psychological development in Western culture.
But if you can acknowledge this reality, you are closer to understanding the experiences of POC, and in turn, you are helping to improve the psychological health of all of us.
Richard