Reflect on how you have seen race and racism create privilege or oppression, and how it interacts with other aspects of identity. Consider ways that different races are treated differentially in the United States (and your country of origin if it is not the United States). Reflect on racism in the United States and globally; and how relationships and group dynamics in both direct and community practice are impacted by racism and microaggressions. One of the key points made by Tatum (2013) is: “Prejudice is one of the
inescapable consequences of living in a racist society…the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color is like smog in the air.” Looking more at systems, Lawrence, et. al. write, “Many of the contours of opportunity for individuals and groups in the United States are defined-or “structured”-by race and racism. The term structural racism refers to a system in which linked public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms often reinforce the perpetuation of racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time.”
· Which one of these quotes and their critique of racism resonates more for you at this point in time?
· From your experience how do you see relationship dynamics (i.e. Tatum) and structures and systems (i.e. Lawrence et al.) reinforce a dehumanizing approach, even among well-intentioned individuals?
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