As someone who identifies as a middle-class, young, able-bodied, heterosexual, cis-female, it is sometimes hard to acknowledge the privileges that I have simply because of the fact that I have done nothing to earn these privileges, I was just given them because of who I am. Growing up, I attended public school in a small community in New Brunswick where the majority of my peers were also Caucasian and from middle-class families. It was in university when my privilege really came to light. I volunteered at an elementary school in a known lower class community. This truly shined a light on my childhood and the privilege that I had growing up. Fast forward to when I started my career and moved away from that small community. I started dealing with patients from all backgrounds and communities. As a health-care practitioner that works in home care, I often go to my patients homes to provide services. This was a real eye opener for me. Seeing how I grew up and how I now lived as an adult in comparison to some of the people that I am now seeing really showed the inequality that exists. The geography in which I work now includes one major city, a number of small towns and villages, 2 Wolastoqiyik communities and 3 Maliseet communities. Being a small, wide-spread province provides insight into a vast range of backgrounds and has allowed me to really reflect on the inequities that some of my patients face simply because of who they are.
The Coin Model is a great resource to show the inequalities and sheds some light into those on the top of the coin and those on the bottom of the coin (Nixon, 2019). Some of us happen to be privileged while others are oppressed simply because of who we are as people. For the most part, I fall on top of the coin, other than being a female. In saying that, I am certainly aware of the oppression that is occurring all around us. I am aware of the fact that my privilege has impacted my values, beliefs and experiences and acknowledge that I have not encountered any major inequalities thus far in my life because of the privilege that I have. In reflection of my own privilege, my goal is to continue to learn and reflect on how my privilege has impacted where I am today and how I can work towards critical allyship with those who do not have the privilege that I am so fortunate to have.
Nixon, S. A. (2019). The coin model of privilege and critical allyship: Implications for health. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-13. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-019-7884-9.pdf
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