SOCW-6051-6200 Response-Racism and Privilege
SOCW-6051-6200 Response-Racism and Privilege essay assignment
SOCW-6051-6200 Response-Racism and Privilege essay assignment
· Respond to at least two colleagues with a critique of their posts and alternative recommendations for how you as a social worker might respond to Mary and her beliefs. Be specific and provide examples from the case.
· Also, identify specific skills social workers might employ.
References (use at least 1)
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Colleague 1:
Mary believed in her mind that she has lost her dignity and value by going out with a married man who also is an African American. Mary came from a family resent the colored minorities based on personal vendetta against the colored population (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014).
“Border patrollers” has the perpetrators of multiracial discriminators are called (Adams et al., 2013, pp.101) has created an identity within which they are recognized and given priority in terms of education, medical and infrastructural amenities within our society. Discrimination against African-American dates back as early as1850s where there was segregation between white and African-American and till today despite government laws against white supremacy or white privileges, our mentality still remains questionable in terms of societal norms as regards multiracial discrimination and privileges. Despite campaigns against discrimination, African-American still face resentment and biases in selection procedure and work places.
Working with Mary was at the micro level of intervention (Plummer et al., 2013), Social workers should strive to empower the client through self-awareness, education, and also, using the strength based perspective to create positive acceptance of the multiracial or colored groups in our society. Social worker must practice without prejudice or biases and must strive to empower the oppressed or victims of social inequalities (National Association of Social Workers, 2007). Mary must first understand that relationship should not be based on color or racial identity but rather connection.
References
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., &
Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd ed.). New
York, NY: Routledge Press.
National Association of Social Workers. (2007). Institutional racism & the social work
profession: A call to action. Retrieved from
http://www.socialworkers.org/diversity/InstitutionalRacism.pdf
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies:
Working with Individuals: The case of Mary. Foundation year. Baltimore, MD:
Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Colleague 2:
“Whiteness is everywhere in US culture, but it is very hard to see…White power secures its dominance by seeming not to be anything in particular” (Adams, Blumenfeld, Castaneda, Hackman, Peters & Zuniga, 2013, p. 77). This notion of “white power” within society is precisely at the core of the debate of racism versus privilege (Curran, 2005).. These two cultural concepts contribute to the maintenance of this “white” dominance within society. Racism is defined as the “cognitive belief that one ethnic group is superior to and dominant over another inferior group” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 445). This suggests that any individual, regardless of race, can hold racist views on the cognitive level. Privilege refers to a level of advantage granted to a person due, largely in part, to desired cultural aspects of society (Curran, 2005). Therefore, it can be determined that racism is a belief, while privilege is either present or not.
47-year old Mary was born into a white family, which automatically comes with some level of privilege (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen, 2014). Historically, simply being “white” lessens some of the cultural challenges unfortunately experienced by other races (Curran, 2005). Throughout her upbringing, her family maintained extremely racist views, believing that black people were “evil” (Plummer, et. al., 2014). As an impressionable child, views held by family members are not questioned or challenged. As a result, Mary spent much of her life believing in these views (Plummer, et. al., 2014). However, as a an adult, Mary clearly started questioning these views, as she pursued a romantic and sexual relationship with an African American man (Plummer, et. al., 2014). Contending with her family’s disapproving opinions, coupled with her own inner turmoil, Mary ended the relationship and developed subsequent anxieties that kept her from living a productive life (Plummer, et. al., 2014).
Mary’s internal struggle has had detrimental effects on her life (Plummer, et. al., 2014). As a social worker, using cognitive behavioral therapy to help Mary understand the struggle and then modify her behavior to achieve her desired outcomes, would certainly be an effective approach (Kirst – Ashman & Hull, 2015). Mary would benefit from a professional that can understand her struggle between her family’s values and her own personal beliefs that have morphed from her upbringing. By allowing Mary to understand that having dissenting beliefs from her family’s is a sign of growth, perhaps the process of empowerment can begin (Adams, et. al., 2013). Additionally, Mary has deemed it easier to label herself as “the crazy sister,” as opposed to acknowledging her different views as they started to unfold. Using a Strengths Based Perspective, the social worker can guide Mary to better understand her positive qualities, situations and experiences that have helped shaped her own set of values, separate from those of her family (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015). She was an individual who was able to hold a job and a relationship; there is simply no reason these same levels cannot be attained with increasing her awareness and understanding of what led her to her current set of circumstances (Plummer, et. al., 2014).
References
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Curran, C.E. (2005) ‘White privilege’, Horizons, 32(02), pp. 361–367.
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2015). Understanding generalist practice (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].