Prevention (Rudkin Chapter 9) Response

I found that reading over the chapter on Prevention was particularly helpful. As we search for solutions to our Research-Action Topics, I think that drawing on prevention measures is a good start. While many of us are dealing with issues that are already a problem, like racism, I feel that it is never too late for prevention. Prevention may not be helpful in stopping racism from occurring at all, but it certainly can assist in decreasing the spread of it.

I think one of the biggest barriers that my group and I face as people ready to end racism is that not all people are. On page 260 there is a chart for Community Readiness: Stages and Strategies. In the case of racism, this is important to understand when addressing what solutions should be applied to which communities. It is difficult to gather a nation wide effort to ending racism if there are many parts of the country that ignore or are just ignorant that it really does still exist. Rudkin identified 9 Stages and I feel that most of the communities in the country only reached Stage 5 of preparation or Stage 6 of initiation, if even that. When dealing with the communities at Stage 1 that either tolerate or are not knowledgeable of racism or Stage 2 of denial, we must initiate small group and educational outreach programs that talk about the problems, costs and harms of racism. By starting at this level I am confident that progress can be made. I am sure that there will be some initial resentment, but this is something that needs to be forced in some areas.

According to the Typologies of prevention, most of the ideas I have such as community therapy and forums are secondary forms or prevention. However, primary prevention is necessary in schools from the elementary to college level. Requiring a few classes for students each year to talk about these issues is a good way to prevent them from becoming racist thinkers. I think that something like this could even be expanded into issues of sexism and other forms of discrimination.