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?

Until next week.....