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

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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. Feel constant, exhausting and disempowering. For example, we may feel like we have to play different roles in different spaces to stay safe. This is sometimes called code-switching. Blaming yourself. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes it can be the way your brain tries to make sense of what has happened. Then at work, institutional and interpersonal racism can be a barrier to promotion. These barriers can affect your income. 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.

Make us feel cut off from parts of our identity and culture. This can leave us feeling unsure about who we are. 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.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. Do you feel able to be honest about your experiences of racism with them? For example, do they help you feel at ease? Sometimes it's very obvious, with a clear intention to harm or offend. This is often called overt racism. It can include: Unwelcome, lonely or isolated. Especially if people or organisations have said or implied that you don't belong.

Covert racism can affect young people’s self-esteem and support the idea that’s it’s okay to challenge a person’s experience. Show them our information about how racism can affect mental health. It's your therapist's own responsibility to educate themselves about racism. But they may welcome new information.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. 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 Angry or frustrated. Particularly if you're being treated unfairly, and if you feel powerless to control it. 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.