Healing from the Effects of
Internalized Oppression
"As Professionals in Education,
How do we manifest internalized racism
and How do we heal?"
Essential Questions:
•What is the % of professionals of color in the field of Education in Oregon?
•How does Institutionalize Racism in our schools systems impact staff of
color?
•How do we start transforming and/or creating our path of liberation in our
journey to heal?
•When was the last time you had a conversation about this topic?
Our Elders- Their Lessons
Dr. Robert Proudfoot
Dwight Souers
The Fishbowl- Los Pescados
Cycle of Oppression
Socialization
Early Years
• Misinformation
•Missing History
•Biased History
•Stereotyping
Feelings engendered
Anger
Guilt
Confusion
Alienation
We collude
Cycle continues
Cycle reinforced by
• Stereotypes, omissions,
• distortions
•People/ systems/
institutions,
we know, love and trust like
• Family and
neighborhood.,
Education
• Media and Government
• Houses of worship
Both oppressed and oppressor
• We have internalized the process
•We view the misinformation as truth
•Differences = different but equal
•Difference = Wrong or abnormal
Internalization
Dissonance
4/9/2015
The path of liberation
12
Shame
Shame
An experience of
inadequacy at the core of
the self.
Shame is experienced for
being a mistake.
Blame
blame
1. To hold responsible.
2. To find fault with; censure.
3. To place responsibility for (something): blamed the
crisis on poor planning.
1. The state of being responsible for a fault or error;
culpability.
2. Censure; condemnation.
Judgment
 a : the process of forming an
opinion or evaluation by
discerning and comparing
 b : an opinion or estimate so
formed
Spiritual Suicide
It is the killing of that part of oneself that is
associated with the feelings and the mind
as well as the killing of real meaning or
significance in one's life.
If you are not doing work that is meaningful
to you or being the person you were truly
meant to be, then you are committing
spiritual suicide.
Path of Liberation
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
What does it sound like?
Seeing, Believing
& Interrupting Racism
and all forms of
Micro-Aggressions
Cycle of Oppression
Socialization
Early Years
• Misinformation
•Missing History
•Biased History
•Stereotyping
Feelings engendered
Anger
Guilt
Confusion
Alienation
We collude
Cycle continues
Cycle reinforced by
• Stereotypes, omissions,
• distortions
•People/ systems/
institutions,
we know, love and trust like
• Family and
neighborhood.,
Education
• Media and Government
• Houses of worship
Both oppressed and oppressor
• We have internalized the process
•We view the misinformation as truth
•Differences = different but equal
•Difference = Wrong or abnormal
Internalization
Dissonance
4/9/2015
The path of liberation
27

Ordinary people are as intelligent and capable as the "experts." We have the
capacity to figure out how to solve problems and transform our communities into
places in which everyone has opportunities to live a full and satisfying life.

Internalized oppression holds people back, by undermining their confidence and by
making it difficult for them to work together. It is painful when people limit
themselves as a result of the discrimination and oppression they have experienced.

Fortunately, we can understand how internalized oppression works and what to do
to overcome it. Simply understanding how it works can help people turn around
some situations. Healing from and overcoming internalized discrimination and
oppression will go further in making communities more effective. Undoing
internalized discrimination and oppression may be a key issue for fully empowering
communities so they can do the work that needs to be done.