takeajournalwithme

[takeajournalwithme]

December 5, 2022

In what ways could a social worker demonstrate cultural humility in working with Ana and her family?

How might this relate to standard medical procedures of a hospital like this one? In what ways are the medical staff and social workers demonstrating practices of cultural responsiveness already?

In what ways could their cultural responsiveness improve?

I think first would be acknowledging to themselves that they don't have all the answers, and making a commitment to continually be an advocate for Ana and he family. Also constantly evaluating yourself as a social worker to make sure you are working to learn about Ana's culture and identities.

Medical staff and social workers demonstrate those practices by (hopefully) bringing an atmosphere of no judgment and prejudice. At the end of the day, the goal is to work in the best interest of the client while always treating them with dignity and respect and I believe a majority of medical staff and social workers practice cultural responsiveness.

I believe having those uncomfortable conversations with people who share different cultural experiences is a good start to improving. Having an open mind and dropping the learned bias' that honestly don't help in advocacy for your clients or patients.

[takeajournalwithme]

October 18, 2022

In what ways are we taught to focus on discrimination, prejudice and bias at an individual (person-to-person) level, rather than systemic level or in terms of human rights?

What feelings, questions, ponderings come up for you in thinking about systemic forms of oppression?

One way we're taught to discriminate on an individual level is simply by when we hear someone speaking in a particular accent or a specific language. Even in America being a huge mixing pot of cultures and identities, we're still taught to look at some accents and languages as uneducated, especially from countries that are majority black and brown.

I think more recently and especially choosing the career path, my biggest ponder is if we will ever live in a collective society where its success is not dependent on the oppression of multiple groups of people. I honestly don't see it happening for at least 2 or 3 generations after me, if ever. I believe it would take literally reworking the fabric of society to create a new one, and I just don't see us as a species being able to peacefully do that any time soon. Pessimistic, but I have to be real.

[takeajournalwithme]

September 20th, 2022

Identities are ascribed vs. self-selected; differences between how society defines you vs. how you define yourself, what you learned about identities from unwritten/unspoken rules, from institutional & cultural socialization, and from ways you were rewarded or penalized for following dominant societal expectations/scripts for identities.

Which identities most salient to you related to your own positionality?

Which most hidden or unexplored? 

I think some of the identities that have the strongest position in my life are my racial identities which include the food and music, and the language we have with one another (AAVE). My identity as an introvert is another one that I've come to realize is more important than I realized it was. Around the age of about 24, I had a personal shift in my religious beliefs which was a big part of my identity. So I would say my religious beliefs (or a lack thereof) and spirituality have become a strong position in my life.

One that I believe is really unexplored is my childhood experiences. Though I've had a pretty good upbringing, there have for sure been some unexplored moments of traumatic experiences that I haven't had the courage to explore yet, honestly. I think one that is truly hidden or unexplored for me and I think for a lot of people as well as the identities of gender identity, sexuality, and social roles. For a very long time societies have had a clear-cut definition of these identities, and even though nonconformance has always been around I feel more recently we've been coming into a reemergence of not the "normal."

[takeajournalwithme]

August 24th, 2022

Based on what you've reviewed so far in Module 1, what are your own personal traits, perspectives, attitudes, and values regarding human diversity, and how much are they compatible with the purpose and values of the social work profession?

A very important value of human diversity I try to advocate for is representation in media. With media being a huge chunk of the way we consume information, many people get some kind of entertainment or knowledge from a type of media. Although there have definitely been advancements in the representation of marginalized groups in TV, radio, etc., there is still a way to go. When we see people that look like us, it helps to build better connections with both each other and ourselves, which is one mission the social work profession aims to do.

One perspective I have is my dislike of the "I don't see color " cliche. I get the sentiment, but the cognizance and appreciation of other ethnicities, racial groups, and cultures are what make good allies. When people "don't see color" they dismiss generations of history, customs, or traditions and reduce it to just a physical color. In this profession, we aim to appreciate and TO see color to better understand the populations that we're working with.