Counseling the Culturally Diverse - Laura Smith L.

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about his racial awakening and identifies some of the major fears many well‐intentioned White Americans struggle with as they begin studying racism, sexism, or heterosexism on a personal level. This passage, perhaps, identifies the major psychological obstacle that confronts many White Americans as they process the content and meaning of the book.

       You see, the subjects I [White psychologist] am about to discuss—ethnocentrism and racism, including my own racism—are topics that most Whites tend to avoid. We shy away from discussing these issues for many reasons: We are racked with guilt over the way people of color have been treated in our nation; we fear that we will be accused of mistreating others; we particularly fear being called the “R” word—racist—so we grow uneasy whenever issues of race emerge; and we tend to back away, change the subject, respond defensively, assert our innocence and our “color blindness,” denying that we could possibly be ethnocentric or racist. (p. 14)

      It is important to note Mark's open admission to racist thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As a White psychologist, he offers insights into the reasons why many White trainees fear open dialogues on race; they may ultimately reveal unpleasant secrets about themselves. In his own racial awakening, he realizes that discussing race and racism is so difficult for many White Americans because they are racked with guilt about how People of Color have been treated in the United States and are fearful that they will be accused of being a racist and be blamed for the oppression of others. Rejecting and avoiding racial topics are major strategies used to hold on to one's self‐image as a good, moral, and decent human being who is innocent of racial bias and discrimination.

      Mark's honesty in confronting his own racism is refreshing, and his insights are invaluable to those who wish to develop culturally competence and become allies in the struggle for equal rights (Chao, Wei, Spanierman, Longo, & Northart, 2015; Spanierman & Smith, 2017). He is a rarity in academic circles, even rarer because he was willing to put his words on paper for the whole world to read as a means to help others understand the meaning of racism on a human level. Mark's courageous and open exploration of his initial reactions to CCD indicates what we have come to learn is a common, intensely emotional experience for many readers.

      It is clear that the same subject matter in CCD often arouses a different emotional response from marginalized group members; for the two students of color, for example, they felt heard, liberated, and validated. They describe the book content as “honest” and “truthful,” indicating that their lived experiences had finally been validated rather than silenced or ignored. Many People of Color describe how their thoughts and feelings about race and racism are often ignored, dismissed, negated, or seen as having no basis in fact. They are told that they are misreading things, overly sensitive, unduly suspicious, or even paranoid when they bring up issues of bias and discrimination; in other words, they are “crazy” to think or feel that way.

      As can be seen from the students of color, many marginalized group members react equally strongly as their White counterparts when issues of oppression are raised, especially when their stories of discrimination and pain are minimized or neglected. Their reality of racism, sexism, and homophobia, they contend, is relatively unknown or ignored by those in power because of the discomfort that pervades such topics. Worse yet, many well‐intentioned majority persons seem disinclined to hear the personal stories of suffering, humiliation, and pain that accrue to Persons of Color and other marginalized groups in our society (Sue, 2015). The following quote gives some idea of what it is like for a Black man to live his life day in and day out in a society filled with both covert and overt racist acts that often are invisible to well‐intentioned White Americans.

       I don't think white people, generally, understand the full meaning of racist discriminatory behaviors directed toward Americans of African descent. They seem to see each act of discrimination or any act of violence as an “isolated” event. As a result, most white Americans cannot understand the strong reaction manifested by blacks when such events occur … They forget that in most cases, we live lives of quiet desperation generated by a litany of daily large and small events that, whether or not by design, remind us of our “place” in American society. [Whites] ignore the personal context of the stimulus. That is, they deny the historical impact that a negative act may have on an individual. “Nigger” to a white may simply be an epithet that should be ignored. To most blacks, the term brings into sharp and current focus all kinds of acts of racism—murder, rape, torture, denial of constitutional rights, insults, limited opportunity structure, economic problems, unequal justice under the law and a myriad of … other racist and discriminatory acts that occur daily in the lives of most Americans of African descent. (Feagin & Sikes, 1994, pp. 23–24)

       I know my dad has a lot of white friends, and they get comfortable with him and they say really insulting things. They call us wagon burners, dirty Indians. And, it's, it's, it's when they get, when they start getting out of line ‘cause my dad wouldn't say anything. I would, start saying stuff and then they'd come back to my dad and be like “oh, what's wrong with your son? Can't he take a joke?” Well it's not funny when, when someone insults you to your face and then they just expect you to laugh at it like they do. (name withheld)

       …so I filled out the little form and I took it up to the girl behind the glass and said “I've got this thing for the parking permit” [at the local university] And she looked at it and looked at me, and she said “So are you delivering this for Dr. X?” and I said “No, actually I am Dr. X.” And she got really red and embarrassed, you know, but I don't really know what was in her mind. You know, maybe I just don't look professorial or something like that. (Senter & Ling, 2017, pp. 266, 269)

      Here, it is important to note the emotional toll of having to listen to racially hostile name calling among “so‐called” friends or to have to continually prove your legitimacy as a professional. These narratives are part of a larger study on racial microaggressions against American Indians (Senter & Ling, 2017). People retold stories of being assumed to be poor, addicted to alcohol or drugs, lazy, and dirty. Narrators described costs associated with microaggressions including being followed, receiving poor service, and getting overcharged. Over time, these experiences left people with hurt and anger; some people coped by distancing themselves from non‐Natives or trying to hide. But, People of Color are also strong. Like so many others who experience racial microaggressions, many used these moments as an opportunity to educate others.

      Given the fact that the majority of People of Color have experienced microaggressions in their lifetime, covering these topics in class can serve to validate their lived realities (Sue & Spanierman, 2020). Dr. Le Ondra Clark, now an African American psychologist in California, describes her experiences of being one of the few Black students in a graduate program and the feeling of affirmation that flooded her when taking a multicultural counseling course and using CCD as the textbook.

       I, a native of Southern California, arrived at the University

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