Learnings from decolonization and white supremacy culture conversations

by sukhman hehaR

In this blog post, I wanted to share learnings and insights I have had in my time with CDLI with discussions primarily around decolonization and also white supremacy.

When I think about decolonization work and how it applies to me as a future social worker, I think about how we are embedded within a system which we think is the right system and correct way of being, without giving space to other ontologies, or other ways of being, existing, and learning. Our discussions as a team gave me insight on how this needs to be challenged, both in how I think and in how I practice as a person and in this profession.

In Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee’s workbook, “Decolonize ... A recalibrating guide & workbook for peeling back the layers of neocolonialism”, she highlights how the way we introduce each other is rooted in a transactional and capitalist societal lens. Often, we have limited time to interact with people, jumping right into our agenda for the meeting, and we miss out on the opportunity to put Relations First, a concept Michelle writes about, where we value our relationships with each other rather than what the other person can offer. Michelle challenged me to rethink ways of meeting and interacting with people in a meaningful way where we ask questions such as “what is meaningful for you to share?” as one technique to practice putting Relations First in our daily interactions. My duty to my practice and way of being is to embody the principles that guide social work from the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, some of which include the core value of respect for the inherent dignity and worth of persons. Michelle’s teaching is a way for me to practice this.

Michelle Nahanee writes about how in her culture they shake hands with love and respect, often with two hands following by a hug. This conveys a meaning of being gentle and caring to look for points of connection. She compares it with dominant culture where the firm handshake is valued, where we are trained to move into categorizing each other based off of hierarchy (p. 4). In my cultural and religious background as well, we often do the same to convey deep appreciation, love, and respect that is grounded in upliftment.

When I think about what decolonization means, going from colonialism to neocolonialism, and how best to understand this in a practical way, I think Michelle’s workbook is a very intentional tool to help visualize how this looks like. She challenges us as the readers to practice critical awareness and embody the decolonizing techniques by first looking at ourselves and how to hold ourselves accountable on a personal, day-to-day level. What I admire about Michelle’s work is how she critically reflected on her journey towards decolonization and what she learned along the way, and practiced self-compassion when she needed to learn. I appreciated this way of thinking as it is rooted in a growth mindset and holds the journey towards constantly learning in humility as the forefront. This is a teaching I will take back in my own practice as a social worker and as a guest on the land of Mohkinstsis.

In our discussions from Tema Okun’s work “White Supremacy Culture – Still Here”, what I appreciated most was the candid discussions around this concept without having to shy away from using the words white supremacy. I value my team’s openness and vulnerability. When I think about the author, her introduction was interesting to me because it focused on her journey of doing this work and an expression of appreciation to her mentors who taught her, and how the work that is being done is a sense of stewardship rather than ownership. When I think about how, perhaps a colonial, dominant, capitalist-rooted mindset of academic writing, authors’ voice in their writing is very firm and almost always written as if their findings are the truth, so when I read this document for the first time, the humility in the writing immediately made me value the content because the nature of the world is one in which humility is needed with the ever-changing nature of being, both in unthinkable challenges and unthinkable beauty and wonder.

Key learnings from Tema Okun’s work for me include understanding how fear plays a key factor in white supremacy culture. The inherent fear of not being good enough, not being enough, and not being lovable stood out to me, because it is at the root cause of who we are in my experience and what everyone desires, to feel a sense of belonging. She writes about the importance of getting skilled at meeting our fear, again, emphasizing the journey and constant learning in life, to not be manipulated into being victims of maintaining power and control. What stood out to me is the sense of belonging that Okun writes about to go beyond the fear and encourage a sense of belonging and welcoming each other. When I think about how as a social worker, my responsibility lies in one of the ethical standards of social workers’ ethical responsibilities in practice settings, I think about the work I may be doing and how I can incorporate this into practice. So many of our team meetings and practices at CDLI focus on small acts of creating safe spaces to allow for inclusion and a sense of belonging so that meaningful conversations and insights can happen.

Tema Okun writes about perfectionism.

Another powerful learning by Tema Okun that I had not previously thought about is the white supremacy concept of perfectionism. This can show up in practice as having little to no appreciation expressed for people for the work that is being done, or when it is expressed, it is directed towards those who get most of the credit. This prevents people in a team from feeling a sense of belonging and being able to genuinely grow at the level that they are at and the amount of effort they are able to put forward. Okun also writes about how perfection is often felt internally. If as a person, we are not appreciating everyone’s efforts involved and directing our appreciation towards those who get the most credit, we innately exhibit this mindset within ourselves. This is critical and powerful self-reflection. She writes that perfectionists often fail to appreciate their own good work, and focus on their faults; mistakes are highlighted without learning from them, with inner-dialogue being consistently critical and condescending towards perfectionists’ own self. If we can train ourselves to look at mistakes and failures as learning opportunities, we will begin to practice seeing this in other people.

As a social work student and as a person wanting to lead a meaningful fruitful existence, I see Nahanee and Okun as mentors for myself. Michelle Nahanee’s workbook about decolonization has helped me challenge ideas about normalcy. It is a practical guide having flourished from over 20 years of her life-experience. It is reassuring to me that there are other ways of being and thinking and still part of professional practice. Tema Okun’s work on white supremacy unapologetically writes about uncomfortable truths that exist and how we can be apart of that, she write about how we as readers can change this through the “anti-dote” suggestions. As I read their work, it is as if I’m sitting with them and having a conversation while contemplating critical self-reflection.