The Tool Kit for Spreading Eracism (End Racism) Like a Virus

By Kenneth Sakauye M.D.

What does it mean to feel empowered to deal with racism? This book introduces you to three tools for these situations. The Trust Equation highlights essential considerations for developing a working relationship with someone. Motivational Interviewing uses Client Centered therapy techniques to avoid arguing or being unknowingly insulting or controlling and help someone find their personal reason to change. Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our feelings and reactions to others, improve empathy, and avoid letting our own feelings and biases rule us.
Facing up to someone on an individual level requires a different type of empowerment than political action and protest. The COVID-19 pandemic offers a new metaphor to help teach what our Civil Rights icons exemplified. They would not have avoided racist people (social distancing) or "called them out" (forcing a defensive reaction). They would make an effort to reduce hostility and engage the other person in a constructive conversation in order to lessen their use of PPE and allow time for an ERACISM infection to take hold. They understood the pathophysiology of racism and supported change rather than demanding it.
Empowerment comes from having confidence to talk without arguing or giving in, and counter dehumanization by showing human traits of integrity, self-awareness, honesty, courage, sincerity, and commitment. The goal is not to fight or retaliate out of anger, but to show our humanity by making a difficult interaction positive. We show empathy by putting ourselves in the other person's shoes and follow guidelines of motivational interviewing
The only good excuse to author a short book about ending racism is the belief that one can contribute a fresh approach.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098382957

Book preview

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©2021 Kenneth Sakauye, M.D. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-09838-294-0 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-09838-295-7 (ebook)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Eracism (End Racism) Can Spread like a Virus

Pathophysiology of Racism

Ways to Increase Transmission

Making the Initial Contact

Building Trustworthiness

Motivational Interviewing

Cultivating Mindfulness

Concluding Remarks

Appendix - Annotated References

Acknowledgments

Index

You must be bold, brave, and courageous and

find a way... to get in the way.

– John Lewis

Introduction

Even if ending racism (Eracism) was an infection that could spread like a virus, would you believe a Grand Wizard of the KKK could be infected? I would have said no until I saw the documentary, Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race in America (2016) and a docudrama, The Best of Enemies (2019). Each had different reasons for opposites to get together, but both showed people can remain cordial, listen to each other, accept each other as people, and change despite differences. Both are inspiring, real life accounts of what can happen between frenemies.

The origin of this book is an odd happenstance. Before seeing the documentary and docudrama, I had been unsuccessfully trying to get editorials published in newspapers about ending racism. The idea was simple. It was based on the idea that one could approach racial bias like a science project and apply the scientific method to test if one’s biases were true or not. The scientific method is simply a standard way to make observations and gather verifiable information, then use it to test a theory. In this case the theory to test would be whether one was biased. Information needs to be analyzed in an impartial way, and the conclusions are ordinarily confirmed by impartial reviewers. When I took the chance of showing one draft to a local African American community leader, she responded tersely, That’s your view. I know exactly what you mean. Good luck on getting it published, and I never heard from her again. Although these pieces may not have been good, I was invested in the ideas at the time, and was taking an emotional risk by showing it to her. A simple reply like, It wasn’t clear what you were really trying to say. Can you tell me more? would have been much more helpful than her clear message that she didn’t care what I thought and was unworthy of her time. This scenario captures the problem of discussions about race with someone who does not think like you. One or both sides may not show interest in the other person or their views and may not really care if they can be helpful.

As a psychiatrist, I should have realized that the approach to ending racism with logic and facts was not going to work. Racism is an emotional issue that changes in the same way feelings change – only partly by reason. For me, the Biblical phrase, Physician heal thyself applied. That is, anyone can be blinded to issues that are too close for them to see objectively, while still hoping for a simple solution, no matter how illogical that might be. The best approach is closer to what a trusted advisor does. You must be personal without prying. You cannot tell people what to do or scold them. Instead, you must be able to help them explore the issues, commit to action, make a plan, and evaluate the pros, cons, and feasibility of carrying it out. Then you must be available to see if the plan resolved the problem. If it did not, modify the plan and repeat the cycle until the problem is resolved. To be effective, the relationship depends upon mutual trust, and evolves through a person-to-person relationship.

What is This Book About?

The only good excuse to write a short book about ending racism is the belief that one can contribute a fresh approach. This is a how to book that provides a tool kit for having the difficult conversation about race with someone you know who does not share your views. The tool kit involves three approaches that doctors often use when they deal with resistant or hostile patients. One is on how to improve our trustworthiness to the other person. Second is to use Motivational Interviewing, which is an approach to help the person see a personal reason to change while avoiding the traps of arguing or being inadvertently insulting or controlling. Third is Mindfulness. This is a skill that helps us become more aware of our feelings and reactions to others, improve empathy, and avoid letting our own feelings and biases rule us.

Malcolm Gladwell noted that Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do. (The Tipping Point). Although viruses are usually associated with disease, not all viruses cause illness. There are tens of thousands of bacteria and viruses that live in or on our bodies, called our microbiome. Many are symbiotic and help us stay healthy. Racism might be a bad virus that causes disease, but Eracism is an attenuated form of the virus that not only helps create a better society but provides immunity to racism.

Like any virus, Eracism can be contained by personal protective equipment (PPE) or social distancing, like avoiding people who think differently. Once exposed, this virus must still cause an infection, which is the voluntary acceptance of the idea of equality and inclusion,