Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Published Ahead of Print
    • Archive
    • Supplemental Issues
    • Collections - French
    • Collections - English
  • Info for
    • Authors & Reviewers
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Advertisers
    • Careers & Locums
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
  • About CFP
    • About CFP
    • About the CFPC
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
  • Feedback
    • Feedback
    • Rapid Responses
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Email Alerts
  • Blogs
    • Latest Blogs
    • Blog Guidelines
    • Directives pour les blogues
  • Mainpro+ Credits
    • About Mainpro+
    • Member Login
    • Instructions
  • Other Publications
    • http://www.cfpc.ca/Canadianfamilyphysician/
    • https://www.cfpc.ca/Login/
    • Careers and Locums

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
The College of Family Physicians of Canada
  • Other Publications
    • http://www.cfpc.ca/Canadianfamilyphysician/
    • https://www.cfpc.ca/Login/
    • Careers and Locums
  • My alerts
The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Published Ahead of Print
    • Archive
    • Supplemental Issues
    • Collections - French
    • Collections - English
  • Info for
    • Authors & Reviewers
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Advertisers
    • Careers & Locums
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
  • About CFP
    • About CFP
    • About the CFPC
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
  • Feedback
    • Feedback
    • Rapid Responses
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Email Alerts
  • Blogs
    • Latest Blogs
    • Blog Guidelines
    • Directives pour les blogues
  • Mainpro+ Credits
    • About Mainpro+
    • Member Login
    • Instructions
  • RSS feeds
  • Follow cfp Template on Twitter
OtherArt of Family Medicine

Our complicit role in systemic racism

Arundhati Dhara
Canadian Family Physician August 2020, 66 (8) 596-597;
Arundhati Dhara
Inpatient and outpatient care in several settings in Halifax, NS, and is Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Dalhousie University.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading
Submit a Response to This Article
Compose eLetter

More information about text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Author Information
First or given name, e.g. 'Peter'.
Your last, or family, name, e.g. 'MacMoody'.
Your email address, e.g. higgs-boson@gmail.com
Your role and/or occupation, e.g. 'Orthopedic Surgeon'.
Your organization or institution (if applicable), e.g. 'Royal Free Hospital'.
Statement of Competing Interests
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

Vertical Tabs

Jump to comment:

  • RE: “Our complicit role in systemic racism;
    Dale Dewar
    Published on: 19 November 2020
  • RE: Our complicit role in systemic racism
    Adam Newman
    Published on: 29 August 2020
  • RE: Systemic racism
    Micah Peters
    Published on: 28 August 2020
  • Published on: (19 November 2020)
    Page navigation anchor for RE: “Our complicit role in systemic racism;
    RE: “Our complicit role in systemic racism;
    • Dale Dewar, MD, FCFP, FRRMS, Wynyard, SK

    I was struggling with expressing what “white privilege” and “systemic racism” mean to my neighbours and community members only to open the October Canadian Family Physician and follow the thread back to Dr. Dhara. I identify as a white heterosexual cis-female. My contribution to this discussion is as follows:

    Systemic racism. It was embarrassing to watch the Chief of Police stumble over the presence of systemic racism but, sad as it might be, she may have the questionable benefit of innocence. While she recognized the presence of racism in the police force, like many whites, she has had no idea what "systemic racism" was.

    Indeed, we are taught to see racism in individual or group acts of violence against persons or people of colour. When pressed, we might find a policy or principle that subtly discriminates, for example, facial recognition software. This narrowness allows us to ignore the implications of membership in the dominant white race, an automatic privilege that our skin colour bestows upon us.

    As soon as the notion of white privilege is mentioned, whites deny it - they have an honest disbelief that this type of conferred privilege exists. "I worked hard for what I have", they say, "I don't have any privilege, I'm mortgaged for everything I have." Some will go so far as to claim that people of colour "have more advantages than they do" or that they have more protection under law.

    White p...

    Show More

    I was struggling with expressing what “white privilege” and “systemic racism” mean to my neighbours and community members only to open the October Canadian Family Physician and follow the thread back to Dr. Dhara. I identify as a white heterosexual cis-female. My contribution to this discussion is as follows:

    Systemic racism. It was embarrassing to watch the Chief of Police stumble over the presence of systemic racism but, sad as it might be, she may have the questionable benefit of innocence. While she recognized the presence of racism in the police force, like many whites, she has had no idea what "systemic racism" was.

    Indeed, we are taught to see racism in individual or group acts of violence against persons or people of colour. When pressed, we might find a policy or principle that subtly discriminates, for example, facial recognition software. This narrowness allows us to ignore the implications of membership in the dominant white race, an automatic privilege that our skin colour bestows upon us.

    As soon as the notion of white privilege is mentioned, whites deny it - they have an honest disbelief that this type of conferred privilege exists. "I worked hard for what I have", they say, "I don't have any privilege, I'm mortgaged for everything I have." Some will go so far as to claim that people of colour "have more advantages than they do" or that they have more protection under law.

    White privilege is like that. If you are white and don't think that you are privileged because of the colour of your skin, you likely don't know what systemic racism is. So, of course, you can’t know what white privilege is.

    When I and my friend became lost in the countryside, I had no fear of driving into a farmyard, getting out of the truck and walking to the door. I even opened the porch door and went to the open door beyond. I didn’t even hesitate. I could be certain that no one would meet me with a gun. My Cree friend did not feel the same confidence.

    When I go into the bank to negotiate a loan, I can expect that the person across the table is likely my colour and understands my culture and my predicament. My people are usually still the heroes in Canadian history books. Since I am WASP, It means my culture is reflected by the place names on maps. My whiteness has meant that no patient has ever refused to have me as their physician because of the colour of my skin. It means that practically never have I been submitted to the beady eyes of the store walker. I can be certain that police have never stopped me because of my race.
    The sense of belonging to the human circle should not belong as a privilege to a few. It should be an unearned entitlement of every human being. At present, since only a few have it automatically, it is both an unearned advantage and, in fact, confers unwarranted dominance.

    In order to change the system, we cannot merely disapprove of "white privilege", although it helps to have key individuals change their attitudes. The first giant step towards change is admitting that it exists. This is why, for the police to shed racism, it is important for the RCMP top chief to admit that systemic racism exists - and for her to do that, she must recognize the presence of white privilege.

    It serves us well to be oblivious about white advantage if we are white - by being oblivious, we can maintain the myth of our meritocracy, & the myth that democratic choice is equally available to us all. People of colour may tell us about white privilege but until we become sufficiently aware of it and willingly - and humbly - give up the unwarranted advantage that white privilege confers, systemic racism will continue.

    Inspired by White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh, printed in "Peace and Freedom" July/August 1989

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (29 August 2020)
    Page navigation anchor for RE: Our complicit role in systemic racism
    RE: Our complicit role in systemic racism
    • Adam Newman, Family Medicine Addiction Physician, Queen's University DFM

    In her thoughtful contribution to the Third Rail column, Dr. Dhara admits that she is "...a little scared about how people will respond to this essay..." As a white, cis-male physician in his 50's, I want to assure Dr. Dhara that some of us, at least, are aware of the privilege we may not have asked for, but have benefitted from nonetheless. This does not prevent me from recognizing the courage it took for her to "pick up the mic", and I personally am grateful that she remains committed to speaking up and advocating for equity and justice within our profession -- which, in the end, will benefit us all. Thank you, and well said!

    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (28 August 2020)
    Page navigation anchor for RE: Systemic racism
    RE: Systemic racism
    • Micah Peters, Family Medicine Resident, NSHA / Dalhousie

    Thank you so much for this vulnerable article Dr. Dhara. I am grateful you had the courage to write it. We need your voice now more than ever.

    For context, I'm a white, male, family resident in Halifax with a history of burnout. These last couple months have been full of self-reflection for me. What I wasn't yet considering was the largely unacknowledged racism in medicine.

    Your article is a great summary of my past subconscious microaggressions. I am listening, learning, and wanting to become a better human beings to other human beings.

    Your vulnerable and piercing words, crucial to be said and heard today, give me a little more hope for systemic change, as well as more direction for me to enact change.

    I do hope to run into you someday in Halifax.

    Competing Interests: None declared.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Canadian Family Physician: 66 (8)
Canadian Family Physician
Vol. 66, Issue 8
1 Aug 2020
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on The College of Family Physicians of Canada.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Our complicit role in systemic racism
(Your Name) has sent you a message from The College of Family Physicians of Canada
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the The College of Family Physicians of Canada web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Our complicit role in systemic racism
Arundhati Dhara
Canadian Family Physician Aug 2020, 66 (8) 596-597;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Share
Our complicit role in systemic racism
Arundhati Dhara
Canadian Family Physician Aug 2020, 66 (8) 596-597;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Bad data
    • Occupational citizenship
    • Pass the mic
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Recognizing white privilege
  • Reflecting on racism in medicine
  • Benefiting from privilege
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

Art of Family Medicine

  • A physician’s grief observed
  • Breathe breath
  • I am a freedom fighter
Show more Art of Family Medicine

Third Rail

  • Reversal of Roe v Wade
  • Weight stigma an unacceptable burden
  • Doctor and parent
Show more Third Rail

Similar Articles

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Archive
  • Collections - English
  • Collections - Française

For Authors

  • Authors and Reviewers
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Permissions
  • Terms of Use

General Information

  • About CFP
  • About the CFPC
  • Advertisers
  • Careers & Locums
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Subscribers

Journal Services

  • Email Alerts
  • Twitter
  • RSS Feeds

Copyright © 2023 by The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Powered by HighWire