Steps Toward Greater Racial Sensitivity
R E L A T I O N S H I P S | Steps Toward Greater Racial Sensitivity. Nia Wilson, a young black woman was murdered on Sunday by a white man on a BART station platform. Her sister was harmed too by the same man. There is no question that race motivated this act of murder and that the initial media coverage was prejudiced, yet there has been a tsunami of resistance and criticism in saying it. So, I thought I’d share a list of ways to develop the sensitivity to racism, developed by Marriage and Family Therapist professors Kenneth Hardy and Tracey Laszloffy.
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➰Becoming Aware that Race Matters. Acknowledge that race matters in our society, that we separate and make people unequal by the color of their skin.
➰Recognizing the Existence of a Pro-Racist Ideology. It’s not just the concept of race that we must admit, but also an ideology, a belief system, that attaches differential values based on race, one where white people are promoted and privileged.
➰Enhancing Cross-Racial Experience. Consistent and direct contact with racially diverse people. Here are some great places to start on IG @bellhooks_@wildmysticwoman @rachel.cargle
➰Exploring one’s own racial identity. Asking yourself about your race like “What does it mean to be ________ race?” “What implication does it have for my relationships with others who are racially similar or different from me?”
➰Challenging Pro-Racist Ideology First in Oneself and Then in Others. We all have internalized racism, and yet not everyone is where we are in our journey of self-awareness and understanding race/racism. Respond in a way that promotes equally and peace. Ask yourself how you perpetuate or manifest a racist belief in relationship to others.
➰Persisting In Spite of Criticism or Rejection. There has been an enormous backlash along with an immense wave of voices calling out the blatant racism in the murder and media coverage of Nia and her sister, is a case in point.
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Also, look for a racially diverse group of friends/trusted people to have these conversations. You cannot do this alone and you shouldn’t. We all have a lot of work to do to develop racial sensitivity and breaking down the barriers of racism.
Photo x @jendzen_photography