Examining Bias

As I approach the readings for this class, I am aware that I do not come without biases. My overwhelming feeling is that of anger. I am angry at those who felt that their way of life is superior and must be accepted by others. I am angry at Christians who felt the lives of others only gained value at the time of conversion, regardless of whether conversion was by force or by choice. I am angry at those who have twisted and perverted religious teaching to justify their actions. I am angry at the government for the policies they put in place that systemically destroyed family ties, language and culture for First Nations people. I feel anger towards those who continue to oppress and belittle First Nations people through derogatory attitudes, stereotypes and discrimination.

I feel a deep grief for those who have suffered as a result of the residential school system; for the families that will never function in the manner they did before government policies came into effect. I grieve for the knowledge that was lost through the narrow mindedness of those who felt their way was the only right way to live. I grieve for the lost lives, lost opportunities and continual degradation of those whose cultures and ways of life predate European ways of being.

Beyond my anger and grief is a somewhat naive idealism that desires to right past wrongs and create a Canada that is worthy of its reputation. I love Canada and I am deeply ashamed of many aspects of our history that have supported racist and assimilationist policies. I want to create a Canada that does not support racism or discrimination through policies and labels that are still in existence.

My biases do not come from a place of true understanding of the daily reality of discrimination. I am a white woman who is highly educated from a middle class family. I have never personally experienced racism and it is unlikely that I will ever experience it. My faith tradition is that of Christianity and I do not fully comprehend the depth of Native American faith traditions. I am a part of the settler society that displaced First Nations peoples. My family immigrated to Canada from Ireland, Scotland and Germany to escape discrimination against them and inadvertently continued the discrimination and displacement of First Nations people in the country in which they settled.

My awareness of my privilege and biases does not preclude the interference of my biases in my understanding of the issue of residential schools and the subsequent policies and discrimination. It will be necessary for me to address these biases throughout my career as a social worker and any work I may do with First Nations people.