If You Stand for Nothing...You Will Fall for Everything..

 

This reading evoked such thought and passion within me as I peeled back the truth of oppression, privilege and bias that rest within our society. To recognize, understand, and acknowledge this is one aspect of the fight. However, what are we doing to hold ourselves and those around us accountable to be catalysts for change for generations to come. In this season of my life, where healing, justice, advocacy, and transformation are the driving force behind much of what I do, I found Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan Johnson to be deeply affirming and sharply eye-opening. As a foreign ,minority  woman, and holistic nurse leader, I bared witness to how systems are established in ways that uplift certain populations, while others are neglected and left behind.  Allen Johnson did not shy away from this sounding truth, and neither should we.

This excerpt reminded me that silence and standing aside is not neutrality….its active participation. You make a choice to either make a stand or watch things crumble and fall. Some may believe that silence, avoiding confrontations/conflicts, or remaining neutral keeps peace and allows the issues to dissipate. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In any event, this approach tends to delay the chances of reaching a true resolution. In a world so deeply divided by race, gender, class, and more, I am not only called to speak up, but to also take action on issues that divide and destroy us as humans. I am reminded that advocacy must start with awareness, and that awareness must lead to accountability. This accountability should ignite the fire within each and every one of us to set ablaze a revolution to tear down the barriers of privilege and discrimination.

Main Argument (Thesis)
This author, Allan Johnson, argues that systems of privilege and oppression are maintained not just by overt discrimination, but by the everyday choices, silence, and inaction of individuals, especially those in dominant, “superior” groups. Many within these groups are must recognize their role and position within society, in order to take responsibility for meaningful and lasting change.

Three Talking Points That Moved Me

1. Privilege Is Real, Even When It's Seems Invisible
“Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to others simply because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything they’ve done or failed to do.” — Allan Johnson

As someone who has had to fight for every inch of space I occupy in this life, I know how heavy the weight of systemic inequity can be. As a foreigner, I have always felt ostracized, isolated, and inferior, in a constant fight to prove that I belong and am capable even if I may not have American blood running through my veins. I have been denied opportunities and positions just because I did not have the patriotic status that those who were much less qualified than I was. The fight to try to “fit in” and “belong” just to be able to walk the streets of this country with respect, dignity, and peace was one that I would never forget. This quote felt like a mirror to what I’ve seen growing up in Brooklyn, attending schools, working in hospitals, and just viewing what occurs in the world at large. It is unfair that privilege, opportunity, success, and prosperity, is not always earned, but is just present and available for some, just based off who they are, what they look like, where they live, or who they know. This is a standard that needs an immense and aggressive challenge and reformation.

Question to sit with: How can we use our privilege,  in whatever form it takes, to make room for someone else?

2. Silence Is the Loudest Accomplice: “Guilty by association”
“We are always participating in something larger than ourselves.” — Allan Johnson

This quote hit home for me. It made me pause and ask myself: when have I been silent or complacent? When have I chosen comfort over confrontation? When did I allow fear to overcome me to the point where I neglected what I knew was right to do or say? Too often, we think we’re doing enough by simply “not being the problem”. However, Johnson makes it plain that SILENCE is part of the issue!

Personal reflection: As a nurse, a Caribbean woman, and a spiritual being, I know that my voice is powerful. And when I use it to challenge injustice, I am answering the call of my life.

3. It’s Bigger Than Me…It’s the System
“People make systems happen through their choices and behaviors, but they are also shaped by those systems.” — Allan Johnson

This reminds me of what I see in healthcare every day. The faulted system that we work in isn’t designed for equity. To believe this is to walk this earth being unaware and naïve. Even within the medical system, privilege is erected and present, built to serve some, and to exclude others. You will see this occur once you learn of a patient’s insurance status. God forbid a patient who is in desperate need comes to the urgent care with no insurance or means of paying for their care. Regardless of if this person is on their last breath, prior to even getting this person’s care established, the first thing that is asked of the patient is, “Do you have insurance?/ What type of insurance do you have?” I have watched patients come into the walk-in, with their hand impaled by a steel nail from a roofing job and was turned away because he had no insurance or means of payment. The amount of pain and risk that was inflicted on this patient broke my heart and angered me as I was forbidden to even offer to clean his wound prior to leaving our facility. We forget about the humanity of this patient because of his lack or socioeconomic status. WE MUST BE THE CHANGE WE WISH TO SEE! WE HAVE TO DISMANTLE THE SYSTEM! Johnson challenges us not just to do “the work” internally, but to recognize how we participate in upholding systems that harm us.

Personal reflection:  Whether it’s in emergency, psychiatric , primary, or school care, I’ve witnessed how policies and structures fail our most vulnerable. We need to unlearn and rebuild the detrimental systems that we live and work in.

Final Thoughts:
This excerpt isn’t a comfortable read at all. However, is growth or change ever really comfortable? Johnson’s Privilege, Power, and Difference motivated me to dig deeper, to recognize where I stand, and to re-commit to standing for those who have been pushed aside and forgotten. As I step further into my role as a healer, leader, and advocate, I carry this lesson with me: privilege doesn’t disappear when ignored…justice begins when it’s challenged.