Critical Race Theory Application: The Concept of White Supremacy as an Analytical Tool to Understand Racism, Bias, and Social Inequality in Opioid Overdoses of Black Residents in Massachusetts
Introduction
In Gilbert (2005), the author discusses many social policies, but the one that stood out to me was his discussion of seeing supremacy. Gilbert (2005) shared about the past of Neo-Nazi pedigree groups such as the Klu-Klux Klan and the British National Party and their reinvention and goal of supposed realignment of their former ideologies. When racism comes to mind, the first response is often to look at flagrant offenses such as hate crimes, discrimination, and language. However, to really see supremacy, one must understand the biases that are not plainly expressed and are somewhat underlying within our institutions, policies, and systems. Utilizing Critical Race Theory (CRT) aims to promote a different perspective and see these implicit racisms as highly detrimental to our future generations and our current communities throughout the United States.
Opioid Crisis in Massachusetts
Despite being from California, I want to address the current opioid crisis in Massachusetts and look at their drug policies in relation to the staggering increase in overdoses amongst their non-Hispanic Black residents. In 2022 alone, nearly 2,300 individuals died from suspected opioid-related overdoses in Massachusetts, which is a major increase from the year prior. In researching the drug policies within the state, one thing that stood out to me is how harshly Massachusetts categorizes the crimes. For instance, heroin possession laws are extremely strict. According to American Addiction Centers, one of the statutes claims that an individual in the presence of heroin, both knowingly or unknowingly, can receive criminal charges which could result in facing jail time, entering a treatment program, and/or a probationary check-in period (Drug laws In Massachusetts, 2023). Now, the issue that arises here is the fact that, in general, Black individuals are far less likely to enter treatment, complete treatment, and are less willing to receive medication or counseling partly due to their history within the community but also due to the fact that drug use has become an overwhelmingly white public health concern.
Analysis and Discussion
Gillborn’s (2005) discussion on this topic suggests that there has been work in the United States to penetrate the roots of our social, political, economic, and cultural systems in order to further understand not only the importance of Critical Race Theory but the influence of this theory in support of neutralizing racism and its devastating effects on our past, present, and future communities. The policy enacted in Massachusetts, while relevant in theory, further perpetuates the issue of supremacy as it is enacted by white lawmakers in a state that is populated mainly by white individuals. Yet when looking statistically, only 7 percent of individuals residing there are non-white but bear the burden of these policies. While yes, utilizing illicit substances is not legal and should be enforced as such, it is imperative that this community takes into account the historical oppression Black Americans face and identifies ways they can accomplish this goal without perpetuating these roots.
Policy Recommendations
While looking at this policy enacted by lawmakers in Massachusetts, I would not agree that it challenges the premises put forth by Gillborn, but I would reiterate that it highlights the importance of considering policies in the active structuring of racial inequality and white supremacy (Gillborn, 2005). As stated previously, Massachusetts is a predominately white state and the population of non-Hispanic Black individuals is so low that the fact that the largest increase in drug-related overdoses of any demographic group was individuals who identify as Black is concerning. Therefore, the state should implement better strategies and utilize education and its reformation as a tool to keep this from happening and deaths from increasing in the future. This policy itself is not problematic to a certain extent, but I think in addition to the policy, more thought, care, and concern should be placed on providing resources, education, and placing attention on the individuals who have been historically hushed and invalidated. For instance, implementing programs in schools catered around utilizing coping skills, anger management groups, as well as individual therapy, in efforts to understand the link between drugs and negative effects in people’s lives. Educating individuals is one of the most beneficial ways to reduce crime if people understand the negative implications of their actions or what their life may look like if they go down that path.
Conclusion
Inequality is rampant in society and further perpetuates the ideology that others are less than based on stereotypes and implicit biases. In Massachusetts alone, the drug laws are more lenient than others, meaning that they have different categorized classes and fines and penalties associated with these different classes (Drug laws In Massachusetts, 2023). The different umbrellas: Crimes against society, Crimes against persons, Crimes against property, and Group B, are in place to protect both individuals and the community but fail to develop anti-racist addiction treatment approaches. At the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center, medical director Miriam Komaromy has created a project to create a welcoming environment in the treatment world in attempts to increase the likelihood that a Black person would seek it out (Larson, 2023). They have conducted focus groups, deeply discussed the barriers to receiving help, and formulated what the ideal treatment is for individuals within the Black community. This project has yielded both macro and micro-level changes that can have prolific effects for clinics, residential, and outpatient programs.
In my personal experience at my internship, I have not worked closely with many individuals hailing from ethnic or diverse backgrounds. Perhaps that is due to my geographical location in Southern California, but also perhaps due to the barriers to treatment described by both Gillborn (2005) and Larson (2023). I can count on one hand the Black individuals I have had for therapy over the past 6 months and in comparison to the influx of white clients, the difference is staggering. It is apparent that addiction treatment must be developed specifically for people of color, practical measures must be taken so Black patients are empowered and uplifted, and that active participation and research are being done to improve the lives of all communities rather than just some.
References
American Addiction Center’s. (2023). Drug laws In Massachusetts. Retrieved from American Addiction Centers. https://adcare.com/massachusetts/drug-laws/
Gillborn, David. (2005). Education policy as an act of white supremacy: Whiteness, critical race theory, and education reform. DUCampus. Retrieved from DUCampus. https://du.leganto.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/readinglist/lists/50783546390002766?institute=01UODE_INST&auth=SAML
Larson, Sandra. (2023). BMC Is Developing New Anti-Racism Addiction Treatment, Research, and Policy. Health City. Retrieved from Health City. https://live-healthcity2.pantheonsite.io/bmc-developing-newanti-racism-addiction-treatment-research-and-policy/