Rejoicing vs Remembering This Black History Month
February is known as Black History Month, but how does focusing on the past increase the sense of disconnection and isolation in the BIPOC diabetes community?
Have you ever wondered why February is Black History Month? It isn’t Black artist month or Black culinary food month. It isn’t Black Medical, Scientific, or Mathematical Achievement Month. It isn’t Black fashion, education, or music month. Black History Month and that decision to focus on the past has made me pause as my understanding of oppression has expanded.
Pausing Isn’t Easy
Over the last two years, The Other and Belonging Institute has helped me explore the many whys associated with oppression (AKA: othering) and what can help society effectively interrupt oppression (AKA: Bridging). Because I am focused on helping people with diabetes, I try to see the many barriers to diabetes, including the feeling of being othered and stigma. Over time, I could visualize this as a self-energizing cycle depicted in the Cycle of Exclusion above.
White bodies, including mine, may have missed a few history classes. Books like My Grandmother’s Hands and The Sum of US have helped me compassionately understand the historical impact of othering. Yet, seeing, learning, and understanding this cycle isn’t enough for me to make a positive change to increase equity. I wanted a way to acknowledge and have fluid conversations about the rippling effect of oppression.
Introducing The Inclusion Pyramid.
My training in motivational interviewing has been essential in developing a counseling model because MI trains the listener (AKA: Diabetes Healthcare Professional) to hear the wish. Your client’s wish for inclusion is part of their change talk.
The Inclusion Pyramid was adapted from the Cycle of Exclusion in three ways. The first change was shifting this cycle to a pyramid to see inclusion as the foundational need of belonging. The second change was to focus on the positive aspect of inclusion. Think of this as a deeper wish instead of focusing on the problem. In the graphic below, you can see how Othering is now the Belonging. Difficulty is now the wish for ease. Feeling unseen is now the wish to feel seen and heard, and judgment is now the wish for nonjudgment. Having these four needs met places wholesome and sustainable self-care within reach.
Basic Needs for Inclusion
In diabetes care, it is easy to hear how people with diabetes wish for all five of these basic needs. They want to belong. They don’t want diabetes stigma to be present. Diabetes stigma is the opposite of belonging - it is othering. People with diabetes want ease because diabetes is exhausting. They wish to feel seen and heard, especially when they say they can’t keep a food log or they don’t want to be weighed. They wish they didn’t feel judged when they decline weight loss surgery or medication. Yet maybe their biggest wish is to have wholesome and sustainable self-care within reach. Unfortunately, that is almost impossible in a weight-centered healthcare space.
The discussion about diabetes stigma is getting more attention, thanks to the folks at EndDiabetesStigma.org. Join me and take the pledge to end diabetes stigma! Yet diabetes is just one example of stigma. For all the melanated people with diabetes, racism, and oppression are also part of diabetes care.
This brings me back to Black History Month. Oppression and racism aren’t just in the history books. When I assumed Black History Month was about past obstacles, it was easy to overlook the current achievements of my peers. History is important, and so is the present moment. There are some amazing thought leaders in diabetes/health care who deserve to be celebrated this month. Instead of focusing on inspiring words from the past, why not take some time and visit these websites? Try to understand the barriers these companies are overcoming. Get curious about their mission, and if you are so moved, like and share their social media post. Shifting the focus from the past to the present is essential for Inclusive Diabetes Care.
Diabetes Digital is a bilingual online platform for virtual diabetes care.
DiversityInDiabetes.org is an online platform and support community. Their focus is “Education, Resources, and Support to address the unique needs of vulnerable populations including BIPOC communities, men, LGBTQIA+, and individuals aged 65+ in their diabetes care journey.”
Beloved Community Global is an in-person program “To empower BIPOC individuals in the food system (including the food service industry) through a framework of mindfulness, sustainability, social justice, and food sovereignty and helps forge meaningful connections to further our vision of a beloved community.”
EatWellExchange.org is an in-person program with a mission to“Empower lower socioeconomic communities with the access, knowledge, and confidence they need to eat a nutritious diet within their own food culture.
The Othering and Belonging Institute is both an online and in-person space with the intention to "Advance groundbreaking approaches to transforming structural marginalization and inequality.”