Insight into Action: Racial Justice in Dance and Physiotherapy
“Insight isn’t insight, if it doesn’t lead to action.” Cindy Blackstock, Educator and Activist
I was born in London, Ontario on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Attawanderon (Neutral) and Wendat peoples. My ancestry is a mix of Irish, German and Scottish, but my first-generation Canadian, first-language Korean husband lovingly calls me “a person devoid of colour.” I grew up in small town New Brunswick and Ontario. While my home town was not diverse, my family and I lived and worked alongside the Mennonite community. I distinctly remember city folk coming to town to take photos of the locals, and those feeling brash would even sit in their horse-drawn buggies while the Mennonites attended church. Observing this, I reflected early on how we treat others who look, dress, work, or believe differently than I do.
This could be the bucolic countryside where I grew up… beautiful but not diverse.
Moving to university in Hamilton was an immersive experience in many ways. I lived with an Iranian-Canadian roommate, started eating spicy foods, studied Western and Eastern philosophy, development in Latin America, and diabetes in indigenous communities. My studio dance education expanded from Russian-style ballet, jazz, modern and tap as I began dancing “outside the box,” from contemporary dance in art galleries, to African dance at the American Colleges Dance Festival, to breaking in clubs, bars and on the occasional piece of linoleum. The diversity of dance itself was beautifully demonstrated by the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists in their Dance Wheel (no longer in print) and their survey of who dances in Canada (1,2).
I love the diversity of dance, from traditional and classical to contemporary and urban styles.
I first met Dr Tracy Blake at McMaster, travelling alongside her in the physiotherapy program. During her online course last week called “The Internet is free: Progressing past awareness and towards racial justice in physiotherapy,” I felt the same feelings I did in those first few problem-based learning sessions at McMaster physio school: I was having difficulty formulating intelligent and useful questions, and I have a lack of context with which to do so. I’d like to thank Dr Blake for sharing a framework for our profession, and for people like me, to get started. First, we must consider the levels of racism (The “I”s): i) intrapersonal, ii) interpersonal, iii) institutional. Second, we must progress along the paths to racial justice (The “A”s): i) awareness, ii) acceptance, iii) accountability, iv) ally, v) accomplice and vi) co-conspirator (3).
In physiotherapy school, we used the transtheoretical model of behavioural change (4) to help us design interventions aiming for positive change in our patient’s health behaviour, whether it be changes in stretching practices, warm up and cool down, cross-training, or the benefit of rest. Using this model, we can determine where we stand and possible next steps for change. On a personal level, by writing this reflection I am moving from the contemplation and preparation stages into action. On an institutional level, Healthy Dancer Canada recently released a statement on racism, and a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Resource I recommend for dancers, educators and health professionals following the path to racial justice.
As dancers we are flexible and adaptable, and we leap into new opportunities with enthusiasm. Let’s do the same as we seek racial justice.
In the physiotherapy profession, Dr Blake’s content analysis of physiotherapy institutions online content demonstrated that we have more work to do. Dear physio colleagues, remember when we were frustrated, wondering why our professors can’t just tell us how to assess lateral epicondylitis? In the same spirit that we jumped into learning clinical skills, we can apply problem-based learning skills to our professional life. We have to use critical thinking. Ask questions of ourselves, our colleagues, our employers, academic institutions, regulating bodies, and professional associations. When it comes to racial justice, it’s time for some life-long learning.
REFERENCES
1. Canada Council for the Arts. Finding from Yes I Dance: A Survey of Dance in Canada. Available at: https://canadacouncil.ca/research/research-library/2014/07/findings-from-yes-i-dance-a-survey-of-who-dances-in-canada. Accessed July 18, 2020.
2. Canada Council for the Arts. Survey of the Social Impacts of Dance Organizations in Canada. Available at: https://canadacouncil.ca/research/social-impacts. Accessed July 18, 2020.
3. Blake, T. The Internet is free: Progressing past awareness and towards racial justice in physiotherapy. July 9, 2020. Embodia online course. Available at: www.embodiaacademy.com.
4. Prochaska, J and WF Velicer. The Transtheoretical Model of Health Behaviour Change. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10170434/