Most of us grow up believing we are not racist, I know I did. I was told by my family and teachers that we must love people for who they are, not the color of their skin. I would never hate someone because they are a different race, class or religion. We learned about Martin Luther King Jr. in school and were taught that he is beloved because of his activism. We’re taught that because of the civil rights movement, racism is mostly a thing of the past. We read stories of how our schools and neighborhoods are no longer segregated and everyone has the same opportunity for success now. We’re given examples of the first Black president and billionaires that are people of color. We watch films with happy endings where racism is overcome after characters of different races learn and come together. We sit in dark theaters crying happy tears because of how far we’ve come.
But this is not the Truth. The whitewashing of MLK and these type of films are just two of the many distractions attempting to keep us from seeing the Truth, that our systems and institutions are racist and prejudiced at their very core. Sadly, we have not truly come very far. Here are just a few examples of systemic racism and prejudices that don’t even scratch the surface…
Education: In truth our schools and neighborhoods are still segregated, just systemically and covertly. Due to other discriminations against marginalized populations, certain people cannot afford to live in certain neighborhoods. Because of white privilege, these areas are predominantly white. These areas have better schools because more money is given to these school districts. People of color who do live in these areas are wealthy so class prejudice is at play here as well. The dangerous areas that low income and minority people live in keep them exposed to situations that affect their education; such as food deserts, gang violence, drug use etc. In smaller towns where there is not this systemic segregation, children of color and with disabilities are in learning environments that don’t cater to their different needs and or learning styles. Therefore they don’t get high grades and don’t end up in college getting degrees needed to make enough income or work in systems to make change.. and on and on it goes. I believe our school systems are set up to indoctrinate children into colonial capitalism and keep things the same. Educational reform that changes the systems to meet the needs of all would make it possible for more individuals from marginalized communities and identities can afford to become social workers.
Healthcare: Our healthcare systems are incredibly racist. Black mothers are ??% more likely to die in childbirth. One of the many reasons for this is that they are not listened to. So a black mother will be ignored when she’s complaining of the same symptoms a white mother will be treated for. There is prejudice against fat people in healthcare. A fat person complaining of stomach pains will be told by a physician that they need to eat healthier and exercise only to find out later they have stomach cancer. And to top it all off, people who are discriminated against in healthcare settings are less likely to even go for checkups because of how they are treated.
Criminal Justice: Our justice system is unjust due to unfathomable systemic racism and predjudice. One just needs to barely peel back the surface to find examples of racism, religious prejudice, classism, homophobia, ableism, etc. Adnan Syed was wrongfully convicted because of racial bias and islamophobia. Because of homophobia, victims of Jeffrey Dahmer were turned away and ignored by police when they could have been saved and Dahmer stopped before he killed more people. There are political prisoners wrongfully convicted because they are Black activists and people of color locked up for life for minor drug charges while rich white men commit war crimes freely. Poor people are targeted and wrongfully convicted because of classism. These examples all stem from people seeing others through their own unconscious and implicit biases.
Because so many of our biases are unconscious we must never stop learning and questioning. As revolutionary social workers we know that there will never be a point that we will be bias free. We can continue to question and confront our own biases by listening to and learning from communities we want to help. Our implicit biases are so ingrained by our culture, such as the whitewashing of MLK and films about race. Because of this, the revolutionary social worker can never stop digging deep to root them out.
As social workers, it is our responsibility to learn about systemic racism and prejudice because if we don’t, we won’t be able to make the change our systems, our world needs. If we are not fighting for the most marginalized, we are not going to truly help anyone. Until everyone is free, no one is. As revolutionary social workers this begins with looking inward. Learning about these systemic issues and then acknowledging how we uphold or benefit from any of them. This is a life long process, there will always be more biases we need to confront and let go of. The revolutionary social worker must always be looking through an intersectional lens and listening to marginalized groups and individuals. We must not see ourselves as rescuers there to save as if we know best. To dismantle these structures we must confront our own biases and see ourselves in the people that we are in community with. In this way we can learn what they truly need, because they will always know better than we will.
Alex Beaudouin
Hi Simone,
Thank you for your blog and for disseminating the truth about the insidiousness of racism and prejudice. I particularly like your blog on healthcare. I listen to NPR radio every day on my way to work, and they happen to have a discussion about racism in healthcare. In addition to your relevant information, we need to understand that racism in healthcare is unequal access to healthcare services. Minority populations may face barriers such as limited availability of care, treatments, or healthcare facilities in their neighborhoods, as well as a lack of insurance coverage, and sometimes language barriers that prevent them from receiving timely and appropriate care. Also, as you mentioned, an important aspect of racism in healthcare is the quality of care received. Studies have shown that racial and ethnic minorities often receive lower-quality care compared tom their white conterparts. This can be due to implicit biases held by healthcare providers, resulting in different treatments, misdiagnoses, or inadequate pain management.
Simone Smith
Thanks Alex, Racism in healthcare is unbelievable.. these providers take an oath to do no harm??? Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to see if I can find the healthcare discussion on my NPR podcast!
Sarai Gomez
I feel like with so much pressure and normalization of prejudice against Alaska Natives its hard to recognize prejudiced tendencies within ourselves or have others recognize them. Its easy to become jaded if we work in a field where we provide public service daily.
Simone Smith
Thanks Sarai! I can totally see how that would be difficult!
Victoria Tichenor
Hi Simone,
Thank you for blog post about the insidiousness of racism. I liked the part about education the most. Since education is so important because it can lead to better job and opportunities. Even here in Anchorage there is segregation, the “south side” is a predominately white area with better schools and more opportunities but on the east side there are gangs and violence and the schools aren’t working to the help the students more for the paycheck.
Simone Smith
Thanks Victoria! Thats so true about the “south side” of Anchorage!
Robi Naranjo
Thanks for the blog, you made a lot of really good points .Biases and racism is everywhere , everyone has biases even if they don’t realize it. Racism is really is insidious, especially systemic racism like with the prison system and people born into poverty, where people have almost no chance to escape it. It’s so insidious too because in America we are so desensitized to it, I don’t think most people have a clear picture or awareness of it, so it persists. People see the effects of poverty as if it a character defect not looking at the systemic injustice that has allowed these issues to flourish and has been happening for hundreds of years . Really interested in all ways social workers and communities are confronting these issues.
Simone Smith
Thanks Robi! You’re so right, we are so desensitized to racism. Once you start learning more and paying attention you find more and more affected by it.
Elizabeth Jackson
Hi, Simone, I, too, grew up believing that racism was a thing of the past, especially with the narratives of progress and equality that were woven into our education and media. It’s disheartening to realize that these narratives often serve as distractions from the harsh realities of systemic injustices that exist today. I appreciate your call to action for revolutionary social work. It’s not enough to simply acknowledge these issues; we must actively work towards dismantling the structures that uphold them. This requires humility, empathy, and a commitment to centering the experiences and needs of marginalized communities.
Jaelynn Anderson
I am going to have to watch that movie tomorrow if my 3-month-old daughter lets me. Anyway, I enjoyed the part on educational reforms. It’s so intriguing because I grew up going to schools where most of the students were middle class and then they sprinkled in some of us lower-class students. This ended up making it difficult for us to mingle due to the cultural differences within the school. So there wasn’t much cultural competency happening amongst students as well as ethnocentrism.