Racial Oppression
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In summary, Jessica understands Spanish but cannot speak Spanish fluently. On the other hand, her fellow Hispanic classmates are outstandingly fluent in both English and Spanish. In their group discussions and social circles, they use Spanish so frequently that it becomes a challenge for Jessica to co-exist with them. This is because she can neither communicate nor contribute effectively to their academic discussions. It is because of these challenges that Jessica seeks advice.
Discrimination and biasness have occurred in the case of Jessica. They occur due to the unmanaged desire to adapt to different assumptions and expectations. Jessica feels frustrated that she cannot fit in the group because she cannot speak Spanish fluently. This makes her think that she is unfit for the group, and she feels like she is different from her group member. There was a misunderstanding between the group and Jessica since Jessica thinks that the group is supposed to speak English. On the other hand, the group thinks Jessica will Spanish since she has Spanish descent.
The listed types of biasness are based on skin color and the ability to assumption racism (Hill, 2017). To counsel Jessica, the problem of assumption and expectation should be highlighted. The advice will apply the aspects of discrimination and prejudice at a personal level. As a counselor, I would first help Jessica understand the element of biasness surrounding her issue. I will also make Jessica comprehend that there is a possibility that the Hispanic group did not know that she may be having a problem with fitting into the group. I will also ensure that she understands that only her limitation is making her feel unfit for the group (Hill, 2017), emerging from involuntary bias assumptions and over expectation from the group members. I will also wish to know if she may have an alternative group to change to or continue with the group.
It will be crucial for Jessica to know that the group may not be aware that she has coping problems with their lifestyle (Park et al. 2020. Therefore judging them would be a complete prejudice resulting from assumption and over-expectation. It may result in hating them for no apparent reasons, and end up preferring whites without consideration that she may be the cause of her problems. Jessica can apply two primary approaches to foster an effective fight against prejudice and discrimination personally. First, she needs to acknowledge her irrational guilt and identify prejudicial information (Park et al. 2020), and from that, she will be able to develop the coping strategies. If Jessica accepts herself biased, she will understand her over-expectation, and maybe the Hispanic group may not be discriminative as she assumes. From that, she may also choose to take the step of getting into the group and use her desired language or withdraw from the group at a personal level.
Second, Jessica may choose to confront the group in a polite and friendly manner and explain her background and the possible challenges that she may have when speaking the Spanish language. And she may request them if she can use English when speaking since the Spanish language may be challenging. Jessica may also promise to cooperate using the English, and she will accept all responses from the Spanish language. With leniency within her group, she may be able to learn Spanish with time, which will help her cope well into that group.
In conclusion, the best option is to obtain personal acceptance of self-prejudice, eliminate biasness, and have a polite request for her group members’ cooperation.
References
Hill, S. C. (2017). Toward conceptualizing race and racial identity development within an attractor landscape. SAGE Open, 7(3), 2158244017719310. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2158244017719310
Hudson, D. L., Neighbors, H. W., Geronimus, A. T., & Jackson, J. S. (2016). Racial discrimination, John Henryism, and depression among African Americans. Journal of Black psychology, 42(3), 221-243. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0095798414567757
Park, J. J., Kim, Y. K., Salazar, C., & Eagan, M. K. (2020). Racial discrimination and student-faculty interaction in STEM: Probing the mechanisms influencing inequality. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-40841-001
Smith, T. B., Bowman, R., & Hsu, S. (2017). Racial attitudes among Asian and European American college students: A cross-cultural examination. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/2022/