How a White, Settler Counsellor Supports Social Justice
“In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.”
I would like to acknowledge and thank the Lkwungen People, also known as the Songhees, Esquimalt, and Beecher Bay First Nations communities, for allowing me to live, work and play on their lands. I also give thanks to the ancestors, supernatural ones, hereditary leaders and matriarchs, creatures big and small for looking after the rich resources and cultural teachings of this beautiful land.
Racism is an insidious, pervasive product of dominant power relations in our Western society. If you are a white person in this society you have both witnessed and have been complicit in racism - yes, you have played a role in racism (whether you’re aware of it or not, you have).
The first step is admitting it. Yes, this is extremely painful for some of us to realize, but we must not commit to our guilt, or engage in “races to innocence” which further supports racism. A “race to innocence” is when someone focuses on their own oppression and trauma which blurs their recognition of the oppression of others, and their own role in that oppression (Fellows & Razack, 1998 as cited in Chapman, Hoque & Utting, 2013). It is our responsibility (as white people) to choose to move forward in a more informed, anti-oppressive/anti-racist way, cognizant of the role of our privilege.
Carla Leuschen, MPA, MSW, RSW
Owner & Counsellor, Strength in Heart Counselling
The next step is critical reflection. I’m a white woman. And yes, I admit it, throughout my life I have both witnessed and been complicit in racist narratives. However, through the progression of my life and career, I have learned to adopt an “anti-oppressive” perspective which now informs my life and my work as a counsellor. Anti-oppressive practice values the recognition and critical reflection of ones’ own complicity in oppression as well as the unlearning of internalized dominant narratives (McIntosh, 1989; Sawyer, 1989).
Critical self-reflection is the analysis of one’s positionality and life experiences to gain insight into how layers of disadvantage and power overlap and intersect to form perceived knowledge and identity (Heron, 2005). As part of my practice, I regularly critically reflect on the intersectionality of my privilege and internalized oppression and how this interplay affects my identity and ability to practice in a socially just way (Heron, 2005; Weinberg, 2015). This self-examination enables me to question my beliefs, thoughts and behaviours which supports my ability to take responsibility for my oppressive complicity as well as to resist reproduction of dominant power relations.
“Reflective practices offer us a way of trying to make sense of the uncertainty in our workplaces and the courage to work competently and ethically at the edge of order and chaos...
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For example, I was raised in a small Canadian prairie town where patriarchy and whiteness were the norms which early on led to feelings of inadequacy as a woman (internalized oppression). By reflecting on my life through a lens of privilege I recognized that my internalized narratives of female inadequacy led to an early lack in self-confidence which contributed to my internalization of racist norms (internalized domination). In other words, in a subconscious attempt to offset my feelings of powerlessness as a woman, I internalized normative racist ideals as a white person. However, I now use that experience to inform my work from an anti-oppressive/anti-racist perspective which allows me to support and empower my clients (and myself) toward social justice.
Take conscious action toward a non-racist identity. What this all means is that I am consciously committed to continually unpack and unlearn racism and oppression in my life and work. I constantly question how my actions and thoughts benefit me or support my western ideologies rather than benefit my clients. Based on this, one of the first things that I explain to a client when I meet them is that they are the expert of their own worldview and life story which means that they will guide their therapy (with my support and space). I also do my best to work with clients from a relational standpoint which means that I sometimes share my own relevant personal life experiences so that we can authentically connect across our differences. If disconnection (e.g. segregation, borders, binaries, etc.) is at the root of oppression and suffering, then re-connection with each other is the antidote!
What is your privilege? What is your oppression? How do these intersect to produce racist ideals in your worldview? How can you move forward in a good way?
Here are some things that you can do to build and support your non-racist identity:
· Recognize when “races to innocence” show up
· Commit to unlearning your internalized dominance/beliefs of normative ideals
· Recognize and explore the value of cultural differences (rather than manage or ignore)
· Engage in anti-racist activism and practices
· Don’t “learn off the backs of the oppressed” – educate yourself!
· Don’t steal the voice of the oppressed – Tell your own story. How does your learning and unpacking of racism make you feel? What is your complicity? How will you move forward in a good way?
We can all do this!
References
Chapman, C., Hoque, N., & Utting, L. (2013). Fostering a personal-is-political ethics: Reflexive conversations in social work education. Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Polity, and Practice, 2(1), 24-50.
Heron, B. (2005). Self‐reflection in critical social work practice: Subjectivity and the possibilities of resistance. Reflective practice, 6(3), 341-351.
McIntosh, Peggy. (1989). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. In Gender Through the Prism of Difference. Oxford University Press. pp. 278-281
Sawyer, Janet. (1989). Internalized dominance. Quarterly Interchange Exchange, 1(4), pp. 16-23.
Weinberg, M. (2015). Professional privilege, ethics and pedagogy. Ethics and Social Welfare (ahead-of-print), 1-15
