Day 1 Reflection

Based on what I understood from Ibram's talk, it sounds like the idea of 'Not racist' itself is a fallacy. It feels more like, given that we are complex beings, that we will at times be anti-racist vs at others times, may be racist or support racist policies/ideas/systems. When I think about that in a clinical setting, I think of how we at times use theories or learnings that have been developed through white minds and a lot of empirical data has been through white participants, with clients where it might not be suitable. While there is a limitation in our field of this however, it is great to see that in more recent times, there is a stronger push for more equitable representation. For me, anti-racist in a therapeutic setting is promoting and supporting those modalities that take a more representative framework when being developed. it's also being a lot more aware and doing the research for where what we are learning and applying is coming from and how that may impact our clients.

This is my second time listening to this discussion by Ibram. A profound message that he conveys is how important it is to continuously identify racism within systems and institutions in society, and then to deconstruct those systems. I often think about how not only in our field but health care in general, providers often do not take an ethnocentric worldview when working with clients. It is so important for clinicians to dismantle the "White" lens that is typically used in helping professions and to consider how shifting our framework to be more inclusive of those clients who are marginalized or oppressed.

In listening to this and other Dr. Kendi talks, I've come away with the interpretation that being anti-racist is action-focused where being "not racist" is something easy to say but doesn't really demonstrate anything. Like, it's walking the walk, not just talking the talk. One action I take is to prioritize offering resources or referrals for all my clients that are by Black people (i.e. books by Black folx, or referrals to Black providers) and encouraging clients to reflect on their own internal biases rather than avoid these difficult topics.