Total Credits: 2 including 2 American Psychological Association, 2 Association of Social Worker Boards, 2 National Board of Certified Counselors, 2 California Board of Registered Nurses
Structural racism or systemic oppression describes how racism is woven throughout current socio-economic and political systems, maintained by policies and procedures and standard operating practices, thereby reinforcing attitudes and beliefs sustaining racially based inequalities (Braveman et al., 2022). As such, structural racism implies and involves connections within and across multiple social systems at multiple levels involving health care, banking and financial systems, employment, education, and the criminal justice system (Gee & Hicken, 2021; Shelton et al., 2021). Moreover, the impact of structural racism, embodied as interrelated, interactive systems of inequity, extends across generations as a unified system of beliefs and values manifested as conscious and unconscious habits and social norms, represented as implicit biases, that in turn reinforce systemic racist behaviors and practices (Banaji et al., 2021; Groos et al., 2018; Payne & Hannay, 2021). Racially based segregation puts people at greater health risks through exposure to contaminated drinking water, poor air quality, and proximity to toxic waste sites (Cushing et al., 2015). Segregated neighborhoods, tending to have a lower income base, experience financial limitations negatively impacting access to educational and recreational resources, healthy food choices, and medical care. People living in low-income neighborhoods have less tax revenues to support school funding or to pay for higher quality teachers contributing to lower test scores and reduced educational opportunities (Owens, 2018). Political disempowerment through voter suppression, gerrymandering, and limited access to polling places further limits how people of color can institute meaningful change (Palandri & Watson, 2020). This keynote looks to identify manifestations of systemic oppression, its impact on marginalized populations, and suggest interventions for promoting prevention and building resilience. Panelists will also discuss examples where racism and oppression exist within the child welfare system, delineate its impact, and identify opportunities for transforming systems and services to promote resiliency. Audience Level: Beginning: Appropriate for all attendees as an introduction to a topic.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
*This presentation was originally recorded at IVAT’s 21st Hawai`i International Summit on Preventing, Assessing & Treating Trauma Across the Lifespan, April 8th-11th, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawai`i*
Kevin J. Connors, MS, MFT is the Senior Vice President at Hecht Trauma Institute in Costa Mesa, California developing a training for clinicians, first responders, and others treating interpersonal trauma. Kevin is also a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice in Long Beach, California and a frequent national and international presenter on complex trauma and dissociative disorders. He is co-author of Treating Complex Trauma and Dissociation: A practical guide to navigating therapeutic challenges.
He is a Member-at-Large to the Board of Directors of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence. He is a Fellow and Past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and served as Chair of their Annual Conference Committee for 8 years. Kevin also serves as Co-Chair of the Institute on Violence, Abuse, & Trauma’s International Summit Planning Committee’s Adult Survivors of Childhood Maltreatment Track.
Ernestine Briggs-King, PhD, serves as the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Network Relations and the Co-Director of Data and Evaluation Program for the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. She also serves as the Director of Research for the Center for Child and Family Health and is President for the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children APSAC). She is a clinical/community psychologist, Associate Professor with tenure, and Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Science, Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Briggs-King's professional expertise focuses on implementation, dissemination, and evaluation of evidence-based treatments; child traumatic stress; resiliency; mental health disparities and inequities, quality improvement, and increasing access to care for underserved youth/adolescents.
Director of Training & Program Development at the Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center, Kunane Dreier is a leader within the LGTBQIA+ community. Kunane has worked in the field for 20+ years providing HIV & HCV testing and prevention services, smoking cessation and most recently, working with individuals experiencing houselessness. Kunane also provides capacity building & training with a focus on harm reduction throughout Hawai'i and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands. Most recently, Kunane has developed and managed 2 new programs addressing houseleness on Oahu for HHHRC. Kunane is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at West Oahu with a bachelor's in public administration. Kunane is a recipient of the Pacific Business News 2019 Business of Pride award and the 2023 Circle of Harmony Award recognizing him for his 20 years of HIV prevention work. Kunane continues to build and foster community relationships in both his professional and personal life.