Being the Oppression of Your Own Culture.”

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Being the Oppression of Your Own Culture

By Mrs. Eleanor M. Fondren LMSW,LADAC

Introduction

Oppression is often understood as an external force — an act of domination carried out by one group over another. Yet one of the most tragic realities of systemic injustice is when the oppressed internalize the very ideologies that subjugate them. To be “the oppression of your own culture” is to carry the residue of colonization, racism, classism, and assimilation within oneself, consciously or unconsciously perpetuating harm against one’s community. This form of internalized oppression is not merely psychological; it is spiritual, social, and generational, manifesting in how we think, behave, and treat one another.

The Historical Foundation of Internalized Oppression

The roots of cultural self-oppression are anchored in colonialism and slavery, where systems of domination devalued African, Indigenous, and non-European peoples. Through centuries of indoctrination, those systems replaced cultural pride with cultural shame. Language, spiritual practices, and traditional knowledge were deemed inferior or demonic. Education systems glorified European ideals while erasing native wisdom. As a result, many descendants of the oppressed were taught to see themselves through the lens of their oppressors — striving to meet standards of beauty, success, and faith defined by systems that never saw them as fully human.

This generational distortion created a cycle where the oppressed became agents of their own suppression, often policing the authenticity, worth, or spirituality of their peers through the very frameworks that once enslaved them.

Psychological and Social Manifestations

Internalized oppression often appears as self-doubt, envy, or the inability to celebrate another’s success within one’s cultural group. It fosters division — light skin versus dark skin, educated versus uneducated, rich versus poor — all rooted in hierarchies imposed by colonizers. When individuals within the same community adopt these values, they replicate oppression without the presence of the original oppressor.

For example, a Black woman who criticizes natural hair as “unprofessional” or a Latino man who disowns his native language for social acceptance are not merely making personal choices — they are enacting cultural self-erasure. Such acts reinforce systemic racism by upholding its standards from within.

The Spiritual Consequence

Being the oppression of your own culture also wounds the spirit. In many faith traditions, including Christianity and African spirituality, oppression violates the divine principle of Imago Dei — that every human bears the image of God. When individuals reject their cultural identity, they deny a portion of the divine reflection within themselves and their people.

This spiritual fracture is why liberation theology, Black theology, and womanist theology emphasize not just freedom from physical oppression but the healing of internalized spiritual trauma. Liberation begins when we confront the colonizer that lives within us — the inner voice that tells us we are not enough, not worthy, not holy, unless we conform to the image of another.

Healing and Liberation

To dismantle internalized oppression requires more than awareness; it demands collective healing. Communities must reclaim language, ritual, art, and education that affirm their cultural dignity. Healing circles, faith-based recovery programs, and community empowerment initiatives provide spaces where individuals can unlearn toxic beliefs and rediscover self-worth.

Forgiveness also plays a vital role — not just forgiving historical oppressors, but forgiving ourselves for participating in systems of harm. As we heal, we replace shame with accountability, and self-hatred with cultural pride.

Conclusion

To be the oppression of your own culture is to carry chains that are invisible yet deeply felt. It is to mistake survival for assimilation and to confuse silence with peace. But liberation begins when we see the reflection of God and greatness in our own people. By confronting internalized oppression, reclaiming our identity, and celebrating our heritage, we cease to be the instruments of our own suppression and become agents of our collective resurrection.

As Audre Lorde reminds us, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Healing begins when we put those tools down — and pick up our own.