Week 7: Anti-Black Racism in Healthcare

Week 7: Anti-Black Racism, Anti-Racism and Communication

• This week's focus is on understanding and addressing anti-Black racism and its impact.
• The weekly learning outcomes outline key topics, including defining racism and anti-Black racism, explaining the link between these concepts and intersectionality, examining racism, health, and healthcare, and understanding white privilege and the Black experience.
• The importance of recognizing and challenging the invisibility of Black nurses and other Black, Indigenous and racialized nursing leaders is emphasized.
• The concepts of anti-racism and critical allyship, including how to be an anti-racist and a critical ally, are central to the week's content.
• The powerful impact of words and anti-racist communication within healthcare settings is highlighted.

Why a Focus on Anti-Black Racism?

• The prevalence of anti-Black racism is emphasized, noting it as a public health crisis, which directly impacts the well-being of Black people.
• Examples such as the George Floyd and Black student incidents demonstrate current experiences affecting this group.

The Clark's Experiment

• This historical study highlights the detrimental effects of racial bias on individuals.
• The legacy of this study continues to affect perspectives and interactions even today.

Tenets of Anti-Black Racism

• Anti-Black racism is deeply rooted in historical injustices such as slavery, colonialism, and ongoing systemic biases.
• It manifests in Canadian institutions, policies, and practices.
• Anti-Black racism includes things like prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination, and unequal opportunities that marginalize African Canadians.

Awareness: Current Ev

• Data from within Southern Ontario indicate Black male students experience disproportionately higher rates of suspension and expulsion than their non-racialized peers.
• This disparity represents ongoing issues of racial bias within the educational system.

Anti-Black Racism in Health and Healthcare

• Racism is closely linked to poor health outcomes and racial inequities.
• Experiences of chronic stress are strongly correlated with various health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, liver disease, and kidney disease.
• Racism also negatively affects mental health and has negative effects on pregnancy outcomes.

Intricacies of Racism

• Racism is based on the erroneous idea that people are biologically different, leading to classifications into racial groups.
• This belief perpetuates harmful stereotypes about these groups.
• The discussion around the intentionality and effect of racial groups is explored.

Types of Racism

• Racism exists in various forms: individual, institutional, and cultural/ideological.
• Individual racism involves discriminatory attitudes or actions.
• Institutional racism involves unequal policies, laws, or practices.
• Cultural or ideological racism involves racial biases within societal norms, beliefs, or cultural perceptions that perpetuate racial inequalities.
• Internalized racism is when individuals from marginalized racial groups accept the negative stereotypes or prejudices directed towards them.

Empathy: Lived Experiences

• Empathy is essential for understanding different perspectives and responding effectively to people in challenging situations.

Relational...first things first

• Establishing strong and respectful relationships is essential for productive dialogue when addressing complex issues.

Advocacy - Moving Forward

• Effective advocacy and challenging racist stereotypes and ideologies are essential to fostering anti-racism in healthcare and wider society.
• Statements such as "I'm not a racist" are not sufficient for truly fostering anti-racism, rather, active work and change is necessary.

Racism and Anti-racism

• Definitions for people who adhere to racist concepts, versus people who adhere to anti-racist concepts.
• The difference between permitting racism to continue versus actively working to dismantle racism is presented.

How to Be an Anti-Racist

• Various strategies, such as centering racialized people's voices, examining one's positionality, challenging existing power structures, and engaging in anti-racist actions.
• Institutionalizing systemic anti-racist practices is crucial, along with self-reflection and action.

What it Means to Be a Critical Ally

• Active participation and engagement in discussions about anti-racism are essential.
• Supporting marginalized racial groups requires genuine presence and active listening.
• Allies who take accountability acknowledge their own limitations in anti-racist work.

Anti-Racist Communication in the Healthcare Environment

• Communication tactics and strategies for promoting anti-racism inside healthcare settings;
• This involves self-awareness, careful word choice, and acknowledgment of power imbalances.

Scenarios

• Actual case study situations which depict the complexity of anti-racism and interpersonal interactions with patients.

An Iconic Speech...

• Introduction of Sojourner Truth; Highlighting historical context of slavery.

Ain't I a Nurse?

• The challenges and invisibility of Black nurses and advocating for recognition.

Reflection...

• The importance of self-reflection, formal and informal learning, and unlearning to become anti-racist.

This quiz focuses on anti-Black racism, its definitions, and implications within healthcare. It includes discussions on intersectionality, white privilege, and the experiences of Black, Indigenous and racialized healthcare professionals. Gain insights into anti-racist communication and the importance of allyship in addressing these issues.