Achieving Diversity Among Modern Racism

Recommended APA 7th Edition Citation:

Grinev, L. (2023, May 31). Achieving diversity despite modern racism. In Articles. WellnessToday180. https://wellnesstoday180.net/blog#articles

Weinberg and Fine (2020) conducted qualitative exploratory research to interview ten racialized individuals, where racialized was defined as social processes by which an individual is perceived to be non-white. As a result of interviewing, Weinberg and Fine concluded that racialized social work practitioners are more frequently experiencing lesser familiar forms of racism, such as aversive, cultural, epistemological, and institutional racism, from clients, coworkers, and managers. The article by Weinberg and Fine asserted that when racialized social work practitioners experience any form of racism, those social work practitioners often succumb to conflicting professional and personal values, psychological distress, and reduced job opportunities and benefits. Furthermore, Weinberg and Fine argued that organizations do not remarkably uphold anti-racist practices that align with the Code of Ethics, particularly the principle of the dignity and worth of individuals.

For example, when participants in Weinberg and Fine (2020) signaled individual discrimination, participants felt they were being denied dignity and humanity because of biases. Often, such biases may stem from cultural racism. Since participants were from a minority group, participants’ cultural values were perceived as consequently problematic (Weinberg & Fine, 2020). Therefore, participants remarked on occasions of behavioral, environmental, and verbal microaggressions from clients, coworkers, and managers (Weinberg & Fine, 2020). Inevitably, these microaggressions in Weinberg and Fine were noted to continue in daily racialized lives due to epistemological racism rooted in political and societal ideologies that reflect and shape majority group’s interests and institutional racism, where institutions, laws, organizations, policies, and systems structurally disadvantage minority (i.e., racialized) groups.

Combating “modern racism,” as coined by Weinberg and Fine, first requires acknowledgment of aversive racism, described as bias without intention or denying racist tendencies. One example of aversive racism can be found in Wilkinson (2021), where individuals and organizations promote “colorblindness.” Wilkinson contended that recognizing other people’s differences is good and promotes equality, growth, opportunities, and social justice following training and transparent practices. However, individuals and organizations utilize colorblindness to minimize the burden of responsibility, as combating the status quo or understanding counternarratives can cause anxiety, discomfort, and fear (Wilkinson, 2021). Although colorblindness may be perceived as an egalitarian orientation, defensiveness, cultural unfitness, emotional drainage, and supremacy remains, thus making colorblindness somewhat counterproductive (Wilkinson, 2021).

           In other words, there is a gap between good intentions (i.e., colorblindness) and true cultural change, as mentioned in Wilkinson (2021). On the one hand, diversifying over colorblindness may appear complex as it may not align with desired majority alignment and congruency structures and systems that proliferate unconscious negative views of minority groups (Wilkinson, 2021). On the other hand, diversity is morally imperative and directs collective responsibility to allow all humans to have dignity and liberation (Wilkinson, 2021). However, diversification requires all individuals and groups to have strong commitment and conviction for causing cultural or societal change, which creates holistic practices and promotes intersectionality (Wilkinson, 2021). Otherwise, individuals and organizations may have difficult-to-measure or vague standards surrounding anti-racist concepts and initiatives (Wilkinson, 2021).

Altogether, alleviating modern racism requires evaluation and confronting shame. An evaluation could occur similar to the one presented in Sengeh (2023) using the seven principles of radical inclusion that start with exclusion identification and ends with coalition building, advocacy, and action. Nevertheless, minimizing discrepancies in behavior and thinking contributing to modern racism requires different actions and frameworks, such as the one highlighted in Wilkinson (2021). Eight approaches by Wilkinson towards achieving racial diversity, whether in interactions or within organizations, can start with (1) adopting a cultural framework, having (2) motivation or (3) supportive leadership, (4) increasing minority interactions where they are believed, heard, and followed, (5) minimizing white supremacy, (6) practicing liberation to embody new behaviors, cultural change, and values, (7) providing others with a sense of belongingness, and (8) taking risks. Regardless, individuals and organizations, even social workers, need to ask questions and challenge authorities by turning shameful or stressful situations into learning opportunities, as highlighted in Sengeh.

References

Sengeh, D. M. (2023). Radical inclusion: Seven steps to help you create a more just workplace, home, and world. Flatiron Books: A Moment of Lift Book.

Weinberg, M., & Fine, M. (2020). Racisms and microaggressions in social work: the experience of racialized practitioners in Canada. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2020.1839614

Wilkinson, B. B. (2021). The diversity gap: Where good intentions meet true cultural change. HarperCollins Leadership.