Have you seen the stories of Rachel Dolezal and Susan Taffe Reed and wondered what the heck is going on?
It’s called “racial disassociation” or as Everyday Feminism vlogger Celia Edell puts it, “race jumping.” This phenomenon has been used in the past, for example, when passing as white would lead to better chances at employment or protect people and their families from danger or harm.
But we’ve seen many examples lately of white people jumping races and claiming heritage that doesn’t belong to them.
Why?
In this video, Edell explains the phenomenon and why it’s harmful.
“White people make these claims because it allows them to avoid confronting racism as a white person, but that’s not okay,” Edell says.
“We as white people have to be more willing to confront our own discomfort with our whiteness in a productive way, focusing on dismantling oppressive systems using our privilege as a starting point, rather than running away from it in order to avoid responsibility.”
Watch the entire video below:
Indigenous Mental Health: The Reality
Orange Shirt Day acknowledges the harm that Canada's residential school system has left in generations of indigenous families and their communities.
NAFC is excited to share two PSA’s created to promote the New Journeys Programs and Services database and resources.
