Ijeoma Oluo's Life as a Woman of Colour in the United States

Nursing Approach: Review of So You Want to Talk about Race
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Nursing Approach: Review of So You Want to Talk about Race
Introduction The book So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo discusses her encounters and life as a woman of colour in the United States and how the experiences have influenced her life. She believes that institutional and individual racism are prevalent problems in American society and champions more pragmatic conversations and attention to racism. According to her, these discussions are naturally demanding for both privileged and minority cultures but urge them to get out of their comfort zones to reduce racial inequalities (Oluo, 2018). The themes discussed in the book are racism, privilege, white supremacy, confrontations to racial pain, oppression and social justice, and cultural appropriation. The book’s underlying themes apply to social sciences that depict human living, fair society, and the meaning of life. Thus, one can integrate these components into the nursing profession through a lens of health and welfare, beliefs and values, and its contribution to society. Theme Summary Racism, privilege, and white supremacy: These aspects are firmly ingrained in American society and the environment. Oluo perceives America as consistently prioritizing white people’s demands at the expense of the black population (Oluo, 2018). She believes that this practice remains highly entrenched in the United States that it influences every facet of society, including law enforcement, media, education, politics, and federal administration. Racial pain confrontation: Oluo demonstrates how racist interactions cause anguish, humiliation, and rage in people of color, compounding previous and historical hurtful episodes that continue to linger in their lives (Oluo, 2018). She believes that a lack of sensitivity to racial anguish is among the main reasons discourses on racism usually end tragically and lacks solutions. Oppression, intersectionality, and social justice: The author claims that individuals in America are oppressed for various reasons other than race, class, sexual orientation, physical appearance, and gender (Oluo, 2018). Oluo cautions against believing that every disadvantaged person encounters oppression similarly since their experiences are distinct. Cultural appropriation: Oluo examines how white people adopting or borrowing from other ethnicities can be oppressive (Oluo, 2018). It implies that when native white cultures adopt the values and undertakings of minority cultures, their hidden perceptions of such aspects frequently become acceptable in the dominant white society at the cost of authentic minority ethnic forms. Inter-relationships to the Questions of the Human Journey             The meaning of human life is a critical component in nursing. As a result, the theme of oppression and social justice stirs the essence of equality and fairness to every individual, irrespective of race, colour, or ethnicity (Oluo, 2018). Humanity is defined on the precepts of individuals’ capacity ...