Drawing on the readings, this unit reflects upon your social identity and explains how social identities intersect in particular contexts. Reflect on how both the privileges and the challenges of intersecting social identities can impact access to adult education. You might want to consider barriers to access to adult education. To help you with this learning activity, review the Diversity Wheel in the textbook (Johnson, 2018, p. 15). You can post the wheel or draw a mind map and post it to enhance your analysis.

Johnson (2018, p. 12-13) is right about one thing, “difference makes us afraid of one another because we naturally fear the strange and unfamiliar, the unknown, what we do not understand. What we fear we do not trust, making it difficult to get along in our diversity.”  Profiling in policing is an everyday occurrence taught to officers and is a required asset for the job. I taught it and will include it in 2022’s curriculum. Some of the finest police officers are extraordinary profilers. The challenge I now have is reflecting on how my profiling and perceptions may have been at times out of control. I made quick and often unconscious impressions of race, sex, gender, age, etc., to make decisions, sometimes taking seconds with dire consequences. How can I now add social identity and intersectionality to the decision-making process?

            While making many of my decisions in law enforcement, I comply with what Johnson (2018) describes as the trouble surrounding diversity by using the difference to include or exclude, accept or reject, reward or punish, credit or discredit, elevate or oppress, value or devalue, leave alone or harass.

            I struggle with labelling myself as oppressive, although I am a white male with privilege. I have never disregarded the experiences of women, any woman, especially when investigating domestic and sexual violence. However, to reflect on my social identity, I am taking the time to shift a few parts of the wheel, which may be enough to make some dramatic shifts in my life. I am looking from an intersectional lens, but I continue to find its meaning and value challenging.

Laurie

Johnson, A. G. (2018). Privilege, power and difference (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill Inc.