High Heels, Violins, and a Warning. Our brains have been conditioned from an early age to filter the perception of the environment and the people in it based on our culture, our family, and our friends.  Our preconceptions blind us. For instance, when someone says the word Dr, I immediately think of a male because traditionally, it was a male profession even though I have seen many female doctors. As a human, I have many biases that I am unaware of, but I can become better at spotting them with practice. 

Trauma affects finances, relationships, pathologies, resilience, and health outcomes. No matter how many pills a person takes, they cannot move towards a healthier life if their souls are unbalanced. As health care professionals, we need to learn how to support the person to provide the right tools or prevent traumatization by forcing them to relive the trauma.

Since I arrived in the U.S., I have wondered why neighborhoods are segregated here. Learning about de jure segregation that resulted from displacement, the U.S. Housing Authority, and the Federal Housing Administration practices, housing loan discrimination, redlining, blockbusting, and slum creation, oppress the African American community. The result was that these community members were never given the opportunity to grow wealth, go to college, and pass on the wealth to younger generations. The ripple effect is that minorities are highly unlikely to make it out of poverty generations later.

 

Another strategy I have already put in place is tip #3, briefly apologize and move on. Acknowledging my mistake shows that I respect their feelings and care about our interaction. The LGTBQ community members have fought so hard to be heard and recognized. We must continue to educate ourselves to create a safe environment where they can be themselves.