Dr. Alex Pieterse was born into the fight against racism. After all, he was born during the height of apartheid in South Africa, a legalised system which separated the races.

Now residing in the US as an educator, Dr. Pieterse, 42, a father of two boys, will be in Bermuda for the first time on Friday for the Bermuda Race Relations Initiative (BRRI).

The 'summit meeting', taking place at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Institute, will focus on the black community and is titled "Defining the Black Community, Past, Present and Future".

Bermudians Dr. Quito Swan, who is currently an assistant professor at Howard University in Washington DC and Dr. Muriel Wade Smith will join Dr. Pieterse on the panel.

Asked to respond to those who claim race relations in Bermuda are different from the way things are in the States, Dr. Pieterse, an assistant professor at George Mason University in Virginia, contended: "This is a very interesting question and point of discussion.

"While I guess there are some differences, when understanding racism, I believe it is critical to appreciate the larger historical and global context.

"In many ways racism is the product of colonisation and is perpetuated through European/American Imperialism.

"After all, racism is much more than prejudicial attitudes — it's really about systems of power and the manner in which these systems are applied along racial lines.

"From that perspective, I believe racial dynamics in Bermuda most probably reflect racial dynamics in the larger global context and as such the psychological process of internalised racism would be worth considering, possibly even in Bermuda."

Friday he will be exploring the concept of internalised racism with the forum.

"I was asked to focus on the process of Internalised racism — commonly understood as the manner in which black people begin to identity with and believe in the notion of white superiority and black Inferiority," he said.

"I hope to provide a social and psychological context in which we can understand this phenomenon and also present some strategies by which we as black people can resist this insidious process."

In addition to lecturing at GMU's Graduate School of Education, he is affiliated with the Counselling and Development Programme there.

He holds a Bachelor of Health Science in Nursing from the Australian Catholic University and a Master of Arts in Counselling from New York University.

He received his PhD in Counselling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Pieterse's area of research includes racism, race-related stressors and psychological responses to stressful life events.

Plus, he focuses on the development of self-awareness and the application of multicultural and social justice models in counsellor training.

"In a sense you could say that I was born into it," he explained of what led him to his studies.

"I was born in South Africa at the height of the apartheid years, however, my specific interest in anti-racism/social justice became more focused during my doctoral studies at Columbia University.

"In connection with my personal experiences negotiating racism, my scholarly interest was informed by my discovery of the manner in which the discipline of psychology has participated in and perpetuated racism."

Dr. Pieterse has published and lectured in the areas of racial identity, social justice, anti-racism training and racial-cultural awareness.

He teaches courses in Advanced Counselling Skills, Family Therapy, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning and Anti-Racism Advocacy.