Race and class are so closely intertwined that it seems difficult to talk about one without the other. It is obvious that people experience either privilege or disadvantage on the basis of class position as shaped by race and racism, gender and sexism, ability or disability and ableism, youth or elder status and ageism or adultism (Adams, p.144). The wealthiest one percent of the American population holds thirty-four percent of the total national wealth. This would appear as if the other ninety-nine percent fit into the upeer-middle class, middle-class and low-class. I am sure that those that live in poverty are not even listed as a class. Is poverty considered a class? All of my life I never even thought about class. There were times that we didn't have enough to eat or our electricity was turned off because as a single parent my mother sometimes couldn't afford to pay rent and bills. Most of my friends lived the same way. Then came integration. I realized that people lived differently and that we were considered low-class people. I initially thought only black people were low-class but as I got older, I realized that all races had people that were considered low-class. Why is it that everyone in America has to be in one category or another? Why do we have to be in a race or a class? Why can't we just be? It seems crazy to me. Anyway, class is just as important as identity. People are identified more by class than anything else. Classism has existed since the beginning of time. Those who had wealth were considered the most important people and the rest of the people were the workers, beggars, and thieves. Why does wealth equal class? It will be interesting to see how this plays out in class next week. Maybe we need more Robin Hoods to rob from the rich to give to the poor to combat economic inequality and destroy classism.
I want to thank everyone in class for supporting me and sticking up for me when you thought I waas being singled-out. It was a learning experience that I won't soon forget. Professor G, I know you're reading this as well and I just would like to thank you for challenging me to become a better person by questioning my own beliefs. Also, thank you for making a difference in a place that needed a hero or should I say SHERO!!
Until next week....
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Well another week, another blog...
Is it just me or does this class force you to look social justice so squarely in the eye , that it makes you uncomfortable? I will be glad to move on to the rest of the "ISMS" because the racism topic is wearing on me a little. This week I'm left with more questions than answers. We realize that racism is still alive and well so how do we start to fix it? Do we have to plan another march on Washington in order to finally see some strides made in this new millenium? Most people would call me a pessimist when I say that as long as man exists, there will be discriminations, prejudices, and biases toward anyone that is different from the majority.
When reading the Marable and Coleman articles I was filled with an awarenes of just how deep the problem goes. Coleman discusses how social work literature lacks consensus on its treatment of race. I guess that means it refuses to "pick a side". Definitions of the term "race" vary widely in social work literature or does not appear at all. As a potential social worker I can see the importance of not putting so much emphasis on race but we must face the present day reality of what Marable calls the "New Racial Domain." Marable suggests that the "New Racial Domain" is a deadly triangle, or unholy trinity of structural racism: mass unemployment, mass incarceration, and mass disenfrachisement. He asserts that this triangle of "color-blind racism" creates an endless cycle of economic marginalization, and social exclusion, culminating in civil and social death. To me this suggests that as more and more blacks and latinos are arrested, go without jobs due the convictions, and lose their right to vote in what is supposed to be a "free" society, the larger the gap between the middle to upper class citizens who own nearly all property and financial assets and those who become virtually excluded from any influence in this nation. That causes me a lot of concern. Am I in the right profession in order to help bridge some of these gaps? How as a social worker can I be effective when it comes to advocating for those whom society deems as unworthy to even participate in society? I tell you, it's all very confusing. How do I avoid the bureaucratic "red tape" often met by social workers to really affect someone's life? This course is really challenging me to rethink my profession.
Last night, The NAACP Image Awards came on and I was moved by the very essence of what the show was about. It was about honoring those who have fought the good fight to allow me the opportunity to even be able to not only go to college but to get an education at all. They honored the Tuskegee Airmen and The Black Stuntmans Association and as the pioneers of those days stood, most on canes, to be applauded, I was filled with such gratitude to be a part of that race of people.
I've added a clip of Cuba Gooding Jr. discussing playing the part of one of the Tuskegee Airmen in "Redtails", the movie produced by Georg Lucas. What really surprised me was the fact that not one bank would back this movie because the entire cast, music, and other producers were all black. What shows real courage, however, is the fact that George Lucas paid for it himself. He thought it was a story worth telling and man, I'm impressed. He received the coveted Vanguard Award at last night's award show. The NAACP honoring a white producer speaks volumes to this race issue. We must continue to "fight the good fight" or what is it all for?
Well,
This Social Justice class just keeps getting better and better. It definitely calls for me to question some of my own beliefs. The guest speakers are always awesome and inspiring and gives me a lot of hope as to just how far one can go if they but put their minds to it! So, the topic of the day is "Racism". I bet that some people are uncomfortable with this subject. As for me, it has been my reality for all of my life. I sometimes wish we could fix it so that it doesn't continue to be the big pink elephant in the room that people keep acting like is not there. If not in my lifetime, maybe in the lifetime of my children.
So, what is racism? According to Adams, et al., racism is the set of institutional, cultural, and interpersonal patterns that create advantages for people defined and socially constructed as "White", and the corollary disadvantages for people defined as "non-white" in the United States (p.60). I was quite impressed as to the extent that the authors argue that racism does still exist and that it is perpetuated by the amount of inequalities that exist in today's society.
We would like to believe that racism only goes back to the days of slavery but racism reaches all the way back to the eradication of Native Americans. The slaughter, enslavement, and unjust treatment of those people already living in this country before the Europeans arrived pisses me off! For them to be able to decide they were "savages" and unworthy of living in the same space is just down right wrong!! It really gets me going! Contemporary manisfestations of racism continue to exist in the U.S. today. It is shown when border guards chase Mexican men and women, often shooting at them; it is shown in the incarceration of Arab Americans without evidence or legal warrant; it is shown when undocumented immigrants who have been paying taxes and residing in this country as law-abiding citiens are deported; and it is shown in the arrest and conviction of young, black men without evidence or due cause.
In Arizona, the governor recently signed a bill that prohibits the teaching of Ethnic Studies www.huffingtonpost.com/.../arizona-ethnic-studies-la_n_572864.htm... That really makes the believe that racism still exists a firm reality. It was passed into law because those in charge believe that teaching ethnic studies somehow breeds "white" hatred. All I know is that as I've learned about the struggles of different races and cultures it has made me proud of my race and proud to be an American. This type of thing really kills that proud to be an American piece!
The article on Critical Race Theory cleared a lot up for me. While I understand the concept of cultural competence as a practice of the social work profession, I readily agreed with the authors of the article, Abrams and Moio, that the model is largely ineffective and that it unintentionally promotes a color-blind mentality. The idea of cultural competence suggests that if we familiarize ourselves with the customs, practices, and attitudes of a culture we can better assist the individual. While this seems like a good idea, it requires too much generalization of individuals and ignores the idea of institutionalized racism. Besides, people are different even in the same culture so to put everyone under the same "cap" is ridiculous. Abrams and Moio suggests that using the CRT model would help the social work profession to address racism without appearing color-blind. This will not be as easy as it sounds because of the resistance that some people have to the idea that in order to conquer racism we must acknowledge its existence. There has been such a negative vibe attached to the idea of racism that we have decided to act as if it has been conquered. This can be detrimental to the social work profession because we are charged with attacking oppression through social justice. If we fail to acknowledge race as a central force of oppression, we lack the ability to affect change.
So, on a more positive note. Dr. Aguilar was very interesting and was really impactful on helping me to see the importance of theory. If I can understand the essence or meaning of the theory through concepts, I can understand the theory. Stastically, he was supposed to have ended up on drugs, in prison or dead but by establishing concepts for himself and then building on those concepts he is theoretically a successful man. Using his personal story helped me to see how to use theory in a practical way.
We chose our groups for our social justice project and I am really excited about our ideas. As we continue the semester, I hope I am able to really make a difference in my life and in the lives of those around me. Till next week.....
