The objective of our training program was to raise awareness about our growing numbers in the US population, especially in the West and in western Washington in particular, and to help healthcare providers learn sensitivity skills to use in the workplace. The most recent US population data (which is thought to be an undercount as many people do not identify themsleves accoridng to the government classification of groups) shows that:

• 4% of children under 18 , or 3 million in number, were reported to be of 2 or more races
• 2% of US adults reported bieng of mixed heritage
  
• 6% of children in Washington state are of mixed heritage

The need for this work remains, despite the process that has been made in the past several decades to end overt discrimination and racism, and despite our growing numbers as part of the overall demographic diversification of our country's population. The reality is that we live in a society were race still matters, prejudices persist, and anti-immigrant bias flares in the context of politics.

Sometimes, not surprisingly, we were questioned about the rationale for this project. The fact that there is even a question about the need to help healthcare professionals and administrators learn about the communities they serve is a reflection of our social reality. In the early 21st Century in the US, we face a new challenge, the promotion of a "colorblind"  philosophy and approach to provision of services. Some proponents of this approach would have us believe that the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 eliminated all forms of bias in the US, and ever since the Human Genome Project revealed that there is no biological basis for the concpet of race,  there is now no longer any need for corrective actions. Those who have not lived the experience being considered "other," may find it hard to accept that realities are different for many of us, despite current events and the lessons of history. Mixed heritage people and families live this reality every day. When the Institute of Medicine's landmark report Unequal Treatment was published in 2003, it was criticized by those who could not accept the evidence that patients get different treatment, linked to their race and ethnicity, even when all other factors like income, education, and insurance status were the same as for Caucasian patients.

Our project coincided with the 40th anniversary of Loving Day, the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Loving v. State of Viriginia, which struck down remaining state laws banning interracial marriages. The provisions of Census 2000 for individuals to be able to indicate for the first time, all of their heritages, mark progress, but much more remains to be done. The data we have shared about the persistent inequities in the blood and marrow donor pools, increasing challenges in access to care, and the differences in cancer survival for children by race, are examples of this need. We believe that recognition of the common humanity of all should be a guiding principle. We also are concerned about new trends in healthcare based on supposed genetic or racial characteristics, that are weak on evidence and may lead to profiling and the perpetuation of stereotypes, old and new. Thus, we carefully chose to use a positive educational approach for the program.

We invite you to contact us to learn more about training services for your workplace or organization.