Breaking the silence : white privilege intervention in the Netherlands

Abstract

In the Netherlands, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts typically avoid using the term “race”, instead adopting a broader “diversity inclusion” framework that shifts focus from racial inequalities to cultural differences. Our project aimed to introduce, test, and apply a framework to reduce color-evasive racial attitudes while fostering empathy among White participants toward racialized individuals. We tested a video intervention designed to reduce color-evasive attitudes and explored whether a self-compassion-based writing exercise could enhance ethnocultural empathy—encompassing awareness, beliefs, and actions toward racialized individuals. Specifically, we examined whether this intervention reduced White fear (anxiety about interacting with racialized individuals) and increased guilt and affective empathy when learning about racism. In an online, within-between-subjects experiment, 301 White Dutch participants completed a writing task. In the experimental condition (n = 151), participants reflected on a marginalized identity and practiced self-compassion; in the control condition (n = 150), they wrote on a neutral topic. All participants then watched a video of racialized individuals discussing the harms of color-evasive attitudes. A paired-sample t-test showed the video intervention reduced color-evasive racial attitudes in all participants. However, general linear model analyses found no direct or indirect effect of the writing intervention on ethnocultural empathy. These findings informed a White privilege awareness and allyship workshop (see Supporting Information).