Six Hindrances to Racial Harmony

A Self-Study Online Course with Ruth King

This course offers six common and discernable habits of harm that illustrate the power and socially sanctioned dynamics of white racial dominance and people of color subordination. It further supports us in seeing the relationship between individual and group racial identity.

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Why Six Hindrances to Racial Harmony?

To understand the dynamics of racial dominance and subordination, we must look at racial group habits of harm, not solely individual acts or single incidents. Individuals can have preferences, biases, and prejudices, but they alone do not have the influence to dominate another race. What makes the influence to dominate another race possible is racial group prejudice plus power. Understanding the dynamics of racial dominance and subordination helps us discern habits of harm and own our role in it as individuals and as members of racial groups.

This list of six is not meant to be exhaustive as there is nothing simple or clear-cut about racial dynamics. The point of this course is to shed light on common habits of harm so that we can interrupt our mental programming. In this course, we are not engaging racial injustice or eliminating racial distress, rather this course supports us in understanding the dance of dominance and subordination and recognizing our relationship to it.

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