One person at a time.
I dream of doing something big to rid the world of racism, to rid my country of racism, to rid myself of racism. “A vision of us getting along” is the title of a presentation I have started to give to audiences, in order to live my dream. I feel called on to step up, as a White person, as the descendent of colonizers, as a woman of privilege. I want to do my bit to make the world a better place. Shades of White saviorism are mixed in to this dream, along with grandmother energy that wants to pass wisdom forward. I have to keep moving ahead, no matter how clumsy for every mistake is a lesson and brings the dream closer to reality.
Today, I was testing a student as part of their final examination for a credential. The student correctly identified the problem and passed. In our debriefing, I asked them about the use of the word ‘redness’ to describe a skin condition. Would a person with Brown or Black skin develop redness as a sign of this condition? There was silence for a moment. Then, they replied, “No. I have Brown skin. My skin would not get red if I had this condition. All the teaching I have been given on this subject has taught about the condition from a White-skinned perspective.” We discussed the influence of White Supremacy on health education and I gave them a resource that contains photographs of melanated skin with a variety of conditions so that their clinical practice will be inclusive of everyone.
In the time we spent together, a step was taken forward to that world where we all get along. Those little steps are ones we all can take, person to person, every time an opportunity presents itself, so that the big dream may come true.