By Dr. Robert Sege, positiveexperience.org/blog, 7/16/20
The HOPE National Advisory Board met virtually on July 14. This extraordinary and diverse group of leaders is deeply invested in the success of our work. Over the past year, we’ve built the trust needed to have candid conversations about difficult topics. This blog post shares some insights gained from our conversation about the relationship between HOPE, anti-racism, and inequities children face in the United States.
One advisory board member challenged us to do a better job of calling out the problematic mindset HOPE seeks to shift, rooted in a long history of institutional anti-Black racism. This challenge led us on a deep and insightful conversation throughout the meeting, which we reflect on here. Please use the comments box below to send us your thoughts.
Categorizing and defining some people as “Other” (i.e. racial, sexual, and gender minorities) works to preserve the power and status of the in-group, in addition to upholding structures that define, measure, and further oppress the Other. Reliance on risk-based assessment places families into overlapping categories of risk and demographics. On the face of it, devoid of historical or social context, this process appears to bring evidence-based approaches to support “vulnerable” families. Providers may view families as the Other while placing individual blame for factors which result from current and historical oppressions.
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