TransformOTive Justice: A framework for anti-racist advocacy in OT

The year 2020 marked a historical turning point when the world was blindsided by the COVID-19 pandemic, while simultaneously grappling with an exacerbation of one of its most chronic, pervasive condition—systemic racism. Systemic racism is defined as the macro-level systems, social forces, institutions, ideologies, and processes that interact to generate and reinforce inequities among racial and ethnic groups (Powell, 2007). Racism, not race, overwhelmingly contributes to poor health outcomes in communities of color, specifically in Black communities (Trent et al., 2019). The medical model has long taught that race, sex, and age are part of biological risk factors that contribute to disease. The health care community must understand that race is a social construct, and that racism impacts the health and well-being of individuals.