Mars gave us a provocative and spirited talk about racism in society. She told us about the cumulative effect of racism on black people, how people become worn down by it. She shared that a negative opinion about her by a teacher took her school career completely off track.
Her challenge to us was to look at where we have bias and to think about how we can address it. To what extent do white counsellors and psychotherapists really understand racism despite their training? Perhaps less than we imagine. Perhaps more than Mars imagines! She invited us to notice what tv we watch, what books we read, and so on. Are we stuck in a bubble that we are not even aware of?
The talk certainly made me realise the weaknesses and distortions of binary distinctions: black and white, male and female, old and young, conformist and non conformist, and so on.
The feedback to Mars’ talk was overwhelmingly positive, describing the talk as ‘amazing’, ‘challenging’, ‘illuminating’ and so on. Thank you Mars for a stimulating and thought-provoking talk.
David Brown