preview

Racial Discrimination : Black Lives Matter Essay

Satisfactory Essays

We are living in a time where being African-American comes with many persecutions. Movements such as “Black Lives Matter” have shown us that racial discrimination is a real threat to the African American population, even in the 21st century. This leaves many communities marginalized and disenfranchised. In the case of Kendra, we can acknowledge that she too has faced discrimination not just due to the fact that she is African-American but also because of her sexual orientation. For Kendra, we can assume that she may suffer from low self-esteem. Her increase in weight and her lack of interest in social interactions also hints at symptoms of depression. After her accident, Kendra also exhibits symptoms of PTSD. I understand that most of her present symptoms may be a result of her recent car accident and the break-up with her girlfriend. Additionally, one has to take the client’s culture and sexual orientation into consideration in order to better help her through this difficult phase in her life. Since I come from a different culture than my client, it is important to become aware of differences in cultural norms and avoid making assumptions based on one’s own culture. Therefore, I read the chapter on Counseling African Americans in the textbook “Counseling the Culturally Diverse”. The book cites Jones’ (1985) study, which argues that one must look at four factors when counseling African Americans: racial oppression, influence of Afro-American culture, influence of majority of

Get Access