One House, One People: Broader understanding needed to address white racism (Guest viewpoint) – masslive.com

Once again, the people of the United States are pressed to reflect on the complex problem of white racism. The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other unarmed Black and Brown men and women by law enforcement officials are stimulating renewed concern about the persistence of this social-political-economic cancer in our nation.

Although enduring demands for corrective action are part of our countrys historic legacy for racial justice, there are a couple of key factors that distinguish the current call of conscience from past efforts. First, the availability of social media provides unequivocal evidence of the indisputable murders of unarmed Black and Brown men and women by law enforcement persons. This social media impact is penetrating some of the apathy that has marked Many white persons reactions to racial injustices in the past.

Second, the rising number of white persons, who willingly and publicly display their abhorrence of these murders by supporting the Black Lives Movement, is resulting in a level of a multiracial unity that has too often been absent in such large numbers in the past.

Despite these important advances, a major barrier impeding our country from more effectively expelling racism within the general public is the narrow ways many people especially white persons think about this social pathology. White persons, in particular, need to expand our collective understanding of the multidimensional nature of white racism and to take a stronger anti-racist stand in our future collective corrective actions.

As a white anti-racist, I have spent the past 40 years learning about many of the idiosyncrasies of white racism through my personal experiences as a racially-privileged individual. These experiences are complemented by the four decades I have spent as a faculty member and social scientist in a number of universities and colleges.

The insights I have gained from these experiences increased my understanding of the very narrow ways many perhaps most white people think about white racism. In order to stimulate more expanded and accurate ways of thinking about white racism in our nation and in our communities, it is helpful to describe how white racism continues to be manifested in different ways in our nation, state, and local communities. Here are four types of racism that continues in our country:

Overt intentional white racism is reflected among white persons commonly associated with the Ku Klux Klan and other domestic terrorist groups. What distinguishes this type of racism from others is the way white people openly, intentionally, and without any remorse express hatred and engage in violent actions towards persons-of-color. This form of white racism is unquestionably unacceptable. It nevertheless gains much attention from the mass media. Despite this media attention, it is important to understand that the overall negative impact of this type of white racism pales when compared to other forms of racism in the United States.

Overt unintentional white racism is similar to overt intentional racism in that both reflect open and public displays of racist thinking and behaviors. One main difference is that overt unintentional racism, while open and public, is not done consciously with intentional racist intent.

One example of this form of white racism occurred when I was working as a counselor in the athletic department of a large public university. During one of the mens basketball teams practices, a white player jokingly said to another player to, Get your cotton-picking hands off me, when this teammate was playing tight defense. This incident caused an uproar among Black players.

As I worked with the team to address the racially-charged situation, the African-American players acknowledged that they did not believe their white teammates comment was an intentional racist act, but rather unconsciously manifested out of ignorance to its negative impact on African Americans.

Ultimately, this event turned into an important learning experience as the white player expressed remorse and embarrassment. He also stated interest in learning more about the ways white people are exhibit overt unintentional racism without understanding its negative impact on many persons-of-color.

Covert unintentional racism refers to behaviors that are not overt, but nevertheless allow racial injustices to go unchallenged. An example of this type of white racism occurs when good-hearted and well-meaning white teachers, counselors, and administrators help to administer racially-biased tests and implement related education assessments in school settings.

Education researchers point out that numerous educational tests and assessment processes are not valid or reliable academic measures when used among racially-diverse students. These researchers explain how such racially-flawed tests and assessment processes often result in an adverse impact on many non-white students educational opportunities and outcomes.

It is important to acknowledge that even well-meaning white teachers, counselors and administrators, who are complicit in this racial injustice, inadvertently perpetuate institutional racism in our society. Anti-racist white allies acknowledge the importance of unveiling this form of covert unintentional racism so appropriate corrective actions can be implemented to eradicate this racial injustice in schools.

Covert intentional white racism is arguably the most pervasive and harmful racial injustice in our nation. This type of white racism has a serious negative impact among larger groups of persons-of-color when compared to the more limited adverse effect of overt intentional and unintentional white racism.

A person does not have to openly express racial hatred or articulate obscene racial comments publicly to be guilty of covert intentional racism. Instead, this form of racism occurs when white persons create policies and/or support another persons policies intentionally designed to disadvantage racial minority persons.

A pattern of actions by President Donald J. Trump are examples of this type of racism continues in our society. Examples of this pattern demonstrated by Trump include:

Trump being sued by the government in the 1970s for alleged racially discriminating housing policies while building his real estate empire in New York City;

In his support of the Stop and Frisk strategy in New York City as this institutionalized racist policy was implemented daily from 2004 2012; and

In President Trumps recent efforts to dismantle the Fair Housing Act a federal legislative policy that supports African Americans chances to secure fair housing opportunities in our nation.

The purpose of describing these four types of white racism is to help white persons develop a more accurate and expansive understanding of the different ways these complex problems continue to be perpetuated in our society. It is also hoped that the information presented will motivate white persons in Massachusetts to work with other anti-racist allies to promote a greater level of racial justice by finding ways to diminish the perpetuation of these forms of white racism in our communities.

Michael DAndrea is an associate professor in the Springfield College School of Social Work and Behavioral Sciences. He is the executive director of the National Institute for Multicultural Competence and president of the non-profit Social Justice Creations organization. He can be contacted by email at michaeldandrea1@gmail.com

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One House, One People: Broader understanding needed to address white racism (Guest viewpoint) - masslive.com