17 A Minority, Black Employee’s Perspective on the Unspoken Racism in Alberta Health Services

Abstract

Black professionals face racism and discrimination despite the professed multiculturalism and tolerance in the Canadian Healthcare workplace. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the realities of workplace racism in healthcare settings through introspections and observable situations between 2009 and 2020 in Drumheller, Alberta. While we pride ourselves that we have a healthcare setting and a system that is tolerant and multicultural, racism remains a thorn in the healthcare workplace. By chronicling my lived experiences as a black professional, the realities of racism are brought to reality. Dealing with racism requires a collaborative effort between members of the racialized professionals and the privileged professionals as allies. Rather than accepting workplace racism and discrimination, these lived experiences can be a catalyst to a conversation on how to ensure a workplace is not only diverse but inclusive. I conclude by noting that steps in the fight against racism must include both personal and organizational ones.

Keywords: intentional conversations, introspections, discrimination, black professionals, career advancement, privileged professionals