Overcoming “Othering”
Choosing love to promote health and racial equality begins with acknowledging both the harm done to some populations and celebrating all we have in common and how we stand strong together. stronger. We must then move from acknowledgment to action, confronting structures that undermine equity and removing barriers to opportunity. The place to start is respect and acceptance, and only then can we move forward toward equitable access to opportunities for health and happiness.
The opposite of love is hate. Sometimes it is expressed openly, through violence and ruthless rhetoric, but more often it is hidden in more subtle forms of discrimination embedded in systems, policies and practices. our practice. Racism, an antithesis of compassion, has been a dominant form of hate in this country for centuries, marginalizing people on the basis of a single trait, that’s the color of their skin. Hate is also expressed in other ways, as when individuals uphold a single identity, value, or point of view above all others, or when organizations discriminate on the basis of gender. , religion, immigration status or sexual orientation. All of which allows us to approach “other” people, a mindset that makes it easier for us to view them as less deserving and thus to justify disparities in access to care. health, education, housing and more.
The counterweight to the power of hate must be love. By fostering compassion and reminding us of our shared humanity, love can clear the way through social, economic, and environmental inequalities. Turning to love means refusing to tolerate injustice anywhere, with anyone, and instead embrace diversity and inclusion. When people with different perspectives and life experiences participate fully in the challenge analysis, idea generation, and decision making process, the conditions for pursuing equity are ripe. But frustration, rage, and the spread of misinformation too often blind us to our common goals. The reluctance to hear opinions across the political spectrum can shut down. If we don’t want to listen to those to whom we vehemently oppose, we not only minimize their concerns but also miss the opportunity to sharpen our own thinking.
My story
My own life, blessed with privileges that so many others have denied, has taught me much about the power of love and power. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have in this country, but as an immigrant who came to Canada from Malta at the age of 14 and then moved to the United States in his late 20s, it will be naive to pretend that my path is unburdened. I’m not willing to talk about some of the little things that I encountered on that journey, and which I continue to encounter, in part because I know that other people have suffered far worse. But let me share a story that speaks to the careless treatment of people who are perceived as different.
In high school, my English teacher kept giving my essays a C. I couldn’t understand why – until I realized he wasn’t actually reading them, but assumed they were. I couldn’t write well because I spoke with an accent – as I still do to this day.
My experience as an immigrant has allowed me to see the world through the eyes of an outsider. Those of us who are born non-natives have a special lens for the legal, physical and symbolic barriers that keep some from participating fully in Chinese society. Ky. Our individual perception of how structures and systems are designed to overwhelm certain populations easily translates into a steadfast sympathy for those who cannot access power and special interests. permission.
An imperative to promote collective healing
The COVID-19 pandemic is a perfect example of the damaging health consequences of having us so locked into our thoughts that we can’t talk to each other. It’s hard not to flinch from deals that have allowed such obvious social benefits as vaccines to become a tool of division. But if their safety and effectiveness for most of us are for public health, the intensity of protest in some quarters tells us not only that we are deeply fractured, but also that we have great motivations to come together. Laying off people who don’t believe in vaccines weakens our ability to make counter arguments and change opinion.
And here I think we have to consider the nature of power and the role it plays in shaping our thoughts, desires, and beliefs. So often used to amplify and reinforce social inequalities that breed seeds of anger and suspicion, power can also be used to advance collective interests — to spread love. not hate in our community. Used properly, power can be a tool to change the structures that perpetuate racial segregation, widen economic disparities, and harm so many people. For example, researchers have identified ways to identify policy interventions to reduce economic and health disparities. Another study found early evidence that guaranteed income improves health and well-being in a medium-sized city. We need to seek out creative opportunities to inform decision-making and catalyze structural changes that enable racial and health equality.
Funding Opportunity: Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity
The “go the way” mindset, my experiences as an immigrant, power dynamics: All of this has informed a lot about how I think about health and how I perceive it. effects of marginalization and hate-inducing racism. RWJF’s Evidence for Action (E4A) program encourages and supports innovative, rigorous research into the impact of programs, policies and practices on health and well-being, with a focus on research will help promote health and racial equality. We already know that racism is bad for health, and we don’t look to science to re-establish that nonexistent reality. Instead, we want to know exactly how racism presents itself and what we can do to confront it.
That’s the heart of Evidence for Action’s new Funding Opportunity. We seek recommendations on a rotating basis, researching how we can eliminate unfair systems and practices. We want to hear from a wide range of people — researchers, practitioners, community leaders, advocates, policy makers — and we welcome multidisciplinary groups. .
Together, we can work towards health and racial equality by focusing on the underlying and structural drivers of health. Learn more and apply today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Sandro Galea is dean of the Boston University School of Public Health. He is the former Chair of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, among other leadership positions, and the author of the forthcoming book, The Contagion Next Time.
