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This paper asserts that whiteness is a major ideological framework that is subtlety interwoven into our institutional structures and is a major organizing principle in the workplace. Efforts to increase racial equity, inclusion, and belongingness within the workplace and throughout society at large are ineffectual and virtually impossible without addressing the deleterious effects of whiteness. Addressing these pervasive subtleties in the workplace requires more than changing the complexion of an organization; instead, it also involves devoting ample attention to promoting widespread cultural change by being intentional about dismantling whiteness. An illustrative list of four preliminary steps for shifting the racial paradigm by attending to the ideology of whiteness in the workplace is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines racial trauma and highlights strategies for healing and transformation to support the disproportionate number of children and youth of color who fail in school and become trapped in the pipelines of treatment, social service, and justice systems. The difficulty in meeting the needs of these children and youth is failing to appreciate the ways in which race is entangled with their suffering. One of the hidden forms of racial trauma is "interpersonal violence," which can lacerate the spirit, scar the soul, and puncture the psyche. The source of this hurt is often confused with distracting secondary symptoms ranging from hopelessness to acting out behavior. Rarely is unmasking and treating the hidden wounds of racial trauma a focal point of intervention. Instead, conventional approaches attend to family problems, individual psychological issues, behavior issues, or substance misuse. These are salient factors but skirt issues of race that are powerful dynamics in the lives of youths. Another hidden form of racial trauma is "internalized devaluation," linked to the deification of whiteness and the demonization of non-white hues. It is perpetrated throughout society, including the systems with missions of serving youth. Racial devaluation is intertwined with other affronts to dignity such as neglect, abuse, and rejection. Profoundly devalued youth become hypervigilant about gaining "respect." To some of these youth, death is preferable to disrespect. Additional hidden trauma tied to "internalized devaluation" are: (1) "assaulted sense of self"--the onslaught of devaluing messages making it hard for youth to know who they really are--and easy to believe they are what others say; and (2) "internalized voicelessness"--erodes the ability to defend against a barrage of unwelcomed and unjustified messages. Other identified traumas are "rage" and "the case of a Nobody." While there is no prevention of youth experiencing racially injurious and traumatizing conditions, this article recommends 8 strategies that promote healing: (1) affirmation and acknowledgment; (2) create space for race; (3) racial storytelling; (4) validation; (5) the process of naming; (6) externalized devaluation; (7) counteract devaluation; and (8) rechanneling rage. The article concludes by explaining the strategies in detail as they help youth of color to cultivate what is "great in and about themselves," thus promoting healing the hidden wounds.

The belief that the field of family therapy's deviation from its multidisciplinary roots will result in marginalization and intellectual isolation is criticized. The field's recognition, growth and viability as an distinct profession will be enhanced by the promotion of gradual shifts from its multidisciplinary roots, the definition of its scope and the acceptance of its technical base.

This article comments on Scott Johnson's article, Family Therapy Saves the Planet: Messianic Tendencies in the Family Systems Literature. This is a very timely article in that it appears during the period when the professional community seem to be struggling with their own version of a crisis in meaning. As a profession, family therapists are inundated with a host of self-reflective questions regarding the future, mission and purpose. Johnson noted that it was remarkable that the speakers at the 2000 national American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) meeting would make implicit and explicit statements that it was manifestly the mission of the clinical profession to solve national and international problems of conflict and bigotry. The author implies that missions to save the world should be the responsibility of Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International and not of organizations like AAMFT or of a profession such as family therapy. Herein lies one of the dangers with the position advanced by the author: segregated thinking. Contrary to the author's claim, modern-day family therapists are trained to address social injustices within the context of their work. Family therapy educators are committed to training therapists who are equipped to assist couples and families with their struggles of everyday life.