Analyze the impact of racism and privilege on your clients and analyze concepts related to racism present in a case study.
Week 5: Race and Ethnic Diversity I
Marta is interviewing for an internship at a nonprofit agency that offers a variety of services to a large urban population. Because the population the agency serves is ethnically and racially diverse, the interviewer asks Marta how she would handle working with racially diverse populations. Marta responds, \”Oh, I would treat everyone the same regardless of their race. I would listen to what they have to say and try to meet their needs based on their presenting concern. Everyone has the same types of concerns regardless of race or ethnicity.\”Marta\’s response may be well intentioned, but is it the proper response for a social work professional?
In your everyday interactions with your clients, once they have presented their concerns, it can be easy to focus on the micro or mezzo work, primarily utilizing your theoretical and practice behavior skills. As a generalist and clinical social worker, you will rely on your finely tuned knowledge base and skills, on which much of your education will be founded, to effectively work with your clients. But what about meeting their needs at the societal level? What does the NASW Code of Ethics say about social workers\’ response to diversity and their responsibilities to their clients?
This week you will analyze the impact of racism and privilege on your clients and analyze concepts related to racism present in a case study. You will also apply relevant social work skills to that case. Then, you will analyze how discrimination impacts clients of multiple races or ethnicities.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Analyze the relationship between racism and privilege
Apply skills for responding to racism
Analyze the impact of discrimination on clients of multiple races or ethnicities
Analyze the impact of biracial/multiracial or multiethnic distinction on society
Discussion: Racism and Privilege
In many societies certain groups possess more resources and hold more power than other groups. In some of these societies, racial discrimination and racial tension also exist. While members of the societies may openly acknowledge that unequal distribution of power and racism are present in their society, many fail to examine the complex relationships between privilege and racism. Social workers must understand this complex relationship so they can educate and empower their clients. Empowerment is the cornerstone of social work practice.
In the book Black Empowerment, the author, Barbara Solomon, writes, \”Empowerment refers to a process whereby persons who belong to a stigmatized social category throughout their lives can be assisted to develop and increase skills in the exercise of interpersonal influence and the performance of valued social roles\” (p. 6).
Empowerment practice is based on a collaborative relationship between worker and client, initiated to promote the client\’s power through self-actualization, self-determination, and the fulfillment of personal goals (Gutierrez, Parsons, & Cox, 1998). Further, this process includes increasing your clients\’ awareness of the structural oppression that exists and its impact on them. It is the role of social workers to empower clients and to bring about awareness of the inequalities that exist in society. This is done two fold—through work with clients on the micro and mezzo levels and on a macro level through work in organizations and communities.
Social workers cannot effectively empower clients without first understanding the mechanisms of oppression and how they impact their day-to-day work. Then social workers can recognize the impact on their clients\’ lives and apply the appropriate skills.
To prepare: Review the case study \”Working With Individuals: The Case of Mary.\”By Day 3Post an explanation of the relationship between racism and privilege. Furthermore, explain how the concepts of racism and privilege relate to \”Working With Individuals: The Case of Mary.\” Explain the impact of racism and privilege on social work practice. Provide recommendations for how you as a social worker might use an empowerment perspective when responding to Mary. Be specific and provide examples from the case. Also, identify specific skills social workers might employ.
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