Examples Of Racism In Social Work

The Defining And Solution of Racism in Social work

Kimberly Marion

Murray State University

Racism vs Social work

The purpose of this paper is to understand how racism is defined and how it is dealt with in the social work practice. Carlos Hoyt Jr. and Claudia Bernard both stress the importance of discussing racism and education on anti-racism in the social work atmosphere. A proper definition is thought to solve conflict amongst individuals in society and the social work practice. Each article goes into a debate on the dynamics of racism as well as the meaning behind it including how you define racism at an individual-micro level or institutional-macro level. Both author’s argue that unless it is dealt with, the understanding

and the practice put forth to educate is in vain. One Article debates the definition of racism and how it should be re-defined. It also talks about the conflicts associated with the terms: racism, prejudice and oppression; it discusses the possibility of people of color being racist as well based on the definition. In this paper I will discuss the reason the word should be defined properly and why the social work profession should educate regardless of how uncomfortable the subject may be.
Racism has plagued this society for many years.

Why does it exist? What determines you to be racist? Claudia Bernard and Carlos Hoyt Jr. discuss the realms of racism, how they work in society, and how education can help the social work practice be effective for the economy. Hoyt defines racism as “the belief that all members of a purported race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or other race.” (Hoyt, 2012) He believes that there is great dispute among society of how racism is to be interpreted. The dispute is whether its meaning describes superior or inferior people based on racial ethnicity or if it should describe the use of power and conserving it. Hoyt (2012) pointed out that the reason of the holocaust being racist was not in the killing but was based on the inferiority belief that they had toward Jewish people. The main argument is that racism means power; therefore anyone of any race with power can be considered racist when using that power to oppress and have prejudice beliefs of another group of people or

race.

Bernard examined an author named Bartoli and how he focused on the effects of racism in the social work program.

Bernard’s (2013) research found that the obligation to combat racism has uninhibited the fight for anti-racism. The focus is no longer on anti-racism but implemented as anti-oppression. In her research she documented that Croft argued that if we stay invisible to whiteness when we talk about racism, it doesn’t support our debates when it comes to defending anti-racism. She also talks about how Bartoli discussed a social work team’s effort to establish a peer support group for black students, which would give them a voice to speak on how they have been oppressed and ways to cope and fix the issue of oppression and racism. In her opinion, this gave an opportunity for African Americans to express their concerns and talk about the issue at hand while providing some outlook and resolution. (Bernard,

2013)
My definition of Racism is the malicious and ill will intent to oppress another race due to their skin color or ethnic origin; this can be physical, psychological or institutional. Racism, oppression, power, prejudice combines to form an issue that society has tried its hardest to wash its hands from. The fact of the matter is that it is always going to be a struggle for power, whether it is in the workplace, society, education system, government and legislative offices or churches. It is interesting that there are those who want to re-evaluate the term racism. I feel that changing it will erase all meaning. It is safe to say that if racism is only based on power, everyone has the opportunity to be racist, but racism has a much broader issue that only affects people of color or other ethnic backgrounds.
I do believe that people of color have equal opportunity to be racist, but I’m guessing that the statistics would show that people of color experience more racism than a white person would. I didn’t recognize that the dissertation of anti-racism was dying out. The need to promote it is crucial to working in the social work environment. Social workers are there to help society and the economy by giving options and providing relief without any bias, prejudice or racism. If a social worker promotes that type of behavior; it leads to oppression of the client. Social workers also need to extend anti-racist ideas with their work environment. In order to learn more and to set forth goals of adopting an anti-racist value, I agree that we need to have peer groups, team meetings, mandatory education, and we need to implement them into the work environment. You have to acknowledge that racism exists before you can solve the problem. When there is denial there is nothing to work on because you are oblivious or in denial of what the problem is around you. Each article gave an interesting outlook of racism and how anti-racist views are deteriorating in society and the social work environment. They also supported the need of anti-racist values of the social work profession. Although, I don’t agree with the revision of the word racism, I did understand the points and views and felt that they formed a wise theory of what racism really means.
As a future social worker, I want to exhibit the values of anti-racism and I want to be a person of color who is not afraid to extend suggestions and comments when it relates to any issue. I want to advocate for racial tolerance with no bias or prejudice amongst any parties. We all learn from each other and addressing the issue allows for solutions to be made. There is no race that is superior or inferior over another.