Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about Racism (Questions & Answers)

Product Information

Racial discrimination or racism is when someone is treated differently because of their race, ethnicity, nationality or colour. Any type of racism or racial discrimination is abusive and distressing for children and young people who experience or witness it. Stressed. All kinds of racism can contribute to stress. This might be events such as sudden, unexpected abuse from another person. But it can also be a more long-term impact of encountering regular microaggressions. Or from the ongoing effects of systemic racism on your life. This can partly help explain links between racism and physical health problems, like increased blood pressure. Angry or frustrated. Particularly if you're being treated unfairly, and if you feel powerless to control it.

Then at work, institutional and interpersonal racism can be a barrier to promotion. These barriers can affect your income. Avoidance. For example, you might find it difficult to remember or talk about your experiences. It might feel hard to believe they really happened. You may also avoid people or places that remind you of your experiences. Anti-racism is taking action to challenge racism and promote equality. It is more than not being racist – it is about working against racism. Covert racism can be much harder to identify and challenge than overt racism. Especially when other people deny it, downplay it or become defensive about it. Or if you have an ongoing relationship with the other person. Have they had any experience of supporting people with the effects of racism? You can ask them directly. A responsible therapist will answer your questions honestly and openly.Stop seeing them, or ask to be referred to another therapist. This might feel like the right option if they're often making you feel unheard, or unsafe. Make us feel cut off from parts of our identity and culture. This can leave us feeling unsure about who we are. Give it some time. It can take time to build trust. And some sessions may be more challenging than others. Covert racism can affect young people’s self-esteem and support the idea that’s it’s okay to challenge a person’s experience. We may experience racism and colourism from multiple groups. And we may hold privilege if we're assumed to be White in certain spaces.

Racism or racial bullying can be overt or openly hostile, such as being called racist names or being sent threats.Do you feel able to be honest about your experiences of racism with them? For example, do they help you feel at ease? Unwelcome, lonely or isolated. Especially if people or organisations have said or implied that you don't belong. Be conscious or subconscious. You might not realise that some of your negative feelings stem from internalised racism or colourism.

Blaming yourself. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes it can be the way your brain tries to make sense of what has happened.

Start a conversation...

Or it can be covert or harder to recognise, involving subtle comments that put a child or young person down and devalue their experience or identity. Feeling very anxious, on edge and unable to relax (called hypervigilance or hyperarousal). For example, you might always be looking out for threats or danger. This means it’s illegal to discriminate against someone, or treat them differently, because of their race. Forced to suppress how you feel. You may find that you can't show or even fully feel your natural responses to your experiences. To avoid more abuse, and keep yourself safe, you may feel like you must not react to racism. This can leave you feeling numb, or mean that the experience stays with you for a long time. Health problems can then further affect work and income. Work, study, money, housing and physical health are all connected to our mental health. This creates a vicious circle of disadvantage. Systemic racism and the pandemic

A system is something that is made up of lots of different connected parts. So systemic (or structural) racism describes how experiences of racism in many areas of life reinforce and fuel each other over time. Not having enough money can have a negative effect on your health. This also contributes to people with first-hand experience of racism being under-represented in management jobs. Which makes it less likely that services will meet people's needs. It can mean the historical end of colonial rule. But it can also mean challenging the cultural dominance of Western ideas over others. It can mean breaking down the lasting impact colonialism has had on society. At system level we can see the wider impact of the inequalities and power imbalances, for example those set up by colonialism. We see how these are maintained now in policy, law, economics, culture and wider society. And how this creates White privilege. How systemic racism can affect individuals Expectations and pressure around who we should turn to for support, like elders and spiritual leaders

Questions

Intergenerational trauma. This describes how racial trauma can get passed down in families across generations – from parents to children. This is a new field of study, and researchers aren't sure of all the ways this transfer happens. But we know that when our elders have been harmed by racism, this can affect us in turn. It can impact our self-esteem, sense of safety, and view of the world around us. But often racist comments or actions are more subtle, and may not be intended to cause harm. This is often called covert racism or microaggressions. Tell your therapist about any problems you're having with them. They might be keen to reflect, learn and do better. Covert racism can come from unconscious bias. This is when someone unknowingly accepts racial stereotypes, and this influences their behaviour. For example – experiencing institutional racism at school as a child might make it more difficult to find work as an adult. Bias in hiring processes can make this even harder.