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What Can They Teach Me About Anti-Indigenous Racism in Healthcare? Lots!

Posted date: July 19, 2024

This is part six in our series by Patient Partners about what they learned at our recent workshop.

By Maryann Maloney

About Maryann: Maryann Maloney As a Patient Partner with Diabetes Action Canada, I’ve been given the opportunity to have a voice that connects both my passion for helping others and the type 1 diabetes I’ve lived well with for 45 years. I live, work, and play in the east end of Toronto. Fun fact: I was voted “Best Laugh” in high school.

Fact: Indigenous people experience a lack of cultural understanding in our health systems.

As a Patient Partner at Diabetes Action Canada, I attended a workshop entitled “Cultivating Equity: Advancing Anti-Racism in Healthcare.” It blew my beliefs out of the water, the clean water that I’m privileged enough to have access to.

I introduced myself as Canadian and, by the end, I was embarrassed about that flippant self-description. During discussions with my new friends, I was able to challenge my own views about racism. This was the beginning of a journey that opened both my mind and my heart. Was I contributing by being complacent about the subtle racism surrounding me? Absolutely!

My own judgments are skewed by my limited knowledge of the prejudices within our healthcare system that affect Indigenous communities. As a retired healthcare professional, this was eye-opening.

My mind is filled with so many thoughts and questions that it’s easier for me to break it down. I’ll stick to the top three.

Question: Can we appreciate our differences and acknowledge that change can happen?

“Made a friend today and we connected. We communicated like we had known each other forever. She didn’t think my questions about her life were weird. She answered them respectfully, with clarity and grace, which is exactly how she portrayed herself. She is a lovely human being named Leslie, and she is Indigenous.”

I had never heard of generational trauma before this workshop, but I know what it is now. I know now that we must learn to understand each other to help find some equilibrium in the system that works best for everyone. If we can address our own prejudices, then we can avoid the familiar rabbit hole of discourse. When I walk into a healthcare environment as a white woman, I’m treated fairly. Every person deserves that same treatment. What judgment are you holding when someone “different” interacts with you?

Question: If we’re not calling others out on their racist comments, are we culpable?

“Chatted with Barb today. We talked about her family. Her grandson wasn’t well and she was concerned. Barb’s granddaughter was at the workshop. We shared stories. She was going home early. Barbara Nepinak is an Indigenous elder at Pine Creek First Nation and has too many accolades to mention. Barb is my friend.”

Is a dedicated nurse working with an overworked physician who doesn’t have time to talk to a struggling Indigenous patient with diabetes a racist? I don’t think so, but the system they work in perpetuates this problem. One probably wanted the best for the patient; the other wanted the patient out. Was the conversation at coffee about non-compliant Indians in a predominantly Indigenous community? If you’re listening and not addressing comments, then you’re contributing. Saying nothing is doing nothing. Call it out when others may not see the racist path they are taking.

Healthcare is a challenge for the Indigenous community. The inequalities within the system are historically grounded. It takes a long time to change things, but together we can. Healthcare, clean water, and housing are all basic human rights. Isn’t that what everyone deserves? I grew up entitled to this. The Indigenous community grew up fighting for that. My understanding of that concept was based on my own beliefs about how much I actually knew about the Indigenous community—nothing!

Question: If you’re not challenging your own beliefs about racism, are you helping or hindering?

“Barry opened the workshop speaking with passion and love for his community, people, and his land. He’s also a very nice person who I now consider a friend. Dr. Barry Lavallee is a member of the Métis community of St. Laurent, Manitoba, and a descendent of Duck Bay and Lake Manitoba First Nations. He received his medical degree in 1988.”

Until we start challenging ourselves, nothing will change. Every one of us holds beliefs that we base decisions on. How can we change them? Is the Indigenous person on the stretcher drunk, or is their blood sugar low? Is an Indigenous person waiting for a helper from their community taking up hospital space or entitled to that privilege? If you have an alphabet of letters after your name, are you above showing discrimination? We can start by showing respect and understanding in all interactions. Do you believe that every person has value and is worthy of respect? I do, and it’s a mantra worth repeating.

“Be kind, be gentle.”

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Maryann

Associated Programs

Patient Engagement

Engaging people with diabetes as active partners in health research to maximize the benefits of research for all communities.

Indigenous Peoples Health

Building programs and capacity in the respectful engagement of Indigenous people in patient-oriented research.

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