As one of the modern day Majors, Social Work is for sure one of the majors that anyone interested in contributing towards the realization of a better society by fighting for justice and equality will really want to study.
My interest in the social work profession became apparent after I got my first position as Social Services Case manager for Refugees. During my first few days on the job, I have realized that minorities need the most help, but have hard time getting their needs met. They needed someone who can advocates for them and help them access to resources available to them in the society. Since then, promoting equality and wellbeing of disadvantaged individuals became my primary goals of my entire professional and education careers and will continue to fuel me in my future endeavors as well.
I have worked and still hold a position as a Social Service Case Manager for groups of refugee populations within my community. In these positions, I have dealt with countless refugee individuals who have found themselves lost and hopeless in this society after their own challenging ordeals that ultimately led to them fleeing their home countries. Sometimes these families arrived at my office confused, scared, and with different needs and struggles.
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More often than not, the one thing these refugees have in common, however, is that they all do not speak English and are unware of the resources available to them in the society in order to start a successful and healthy life. I regularly work closely with these individuals to promote their integration into their new communities, and increase their mobility through coaching on how to independently navigate community systems and resources hoping they will be able to use the knowledge gained to empower themselves and regain control over their lives as they fulfill their dreams or goals.
In addition, I have also volunteered with the after school local youth center; Boys and Girls where I have served as a mentor for young youth who attended these programs. I found that for many of these students, the educational opportunities that were being provided to them at school were lacking and limited. As a result, I decided to dedicate my own time spent with these young people supplementing their education by offering academic tutoring and support in order for them to succeed in their education and grow to be responsible and reliable as I strongly believe that the more educated a country’s citizens are, the more the country will advance and progress.
Social Problem Analysis
The fight against Racial Discrimination in the US continues to the present day and the challenges may have increased in the 21st century. Racial Discrimination has been a long running social problem in the US despite constant claims that the US is currently in a post-racism era. Officially sanctioned racial bias has significantly reduced in the last few decades. However, unofficial racial bias continues to plague members of minority groups in the US. According to Yan (2018), racial profiling and bias is a contemporary social problem that causes profound social, economic, and health detriments on the victims that can may include chronic illnesses, unwarranted harassment by law enforcement, denial of essential services, and imposition of higher interest rates on credit.
According to Glaser (2014), official policies such as police raids on workplaces employing immigrant workers results in the alienation of these communities and creates mistrust and fear. Glaser (2014) also posits that the raids by federal and local officials on immigrant communities have resulted in anti-immigrant rhetoric and a consecutive increasing in hate crimes against members of the Latino community. Yan (2018) reports that members of minority groups continue to be subjected to official sanctions such as random stops and frisking based on their racial identity rather than tangible evidence of illegal conduct.
Bou-Habib (2011) observes that racism may cause poor health. The author cites research evidence that shows that members of the society who persistently experienced racially instigated harassment exhibited higher rates of chronic illnesses. Members of minority groups in the US have also been shown to be charged higher interest rates than their white counterparts even in situations where they shared similar credit ratings. The denial of opportunities to find employment denies members of minority groups opportunities for economic prosperity. A report by The American Civil Liberties Union and The Rights Working Group (2009) indicates that there was a 50% more likelihood that a job application would receive a call back if the resume had a typical white name than if the name was typically black. Research also indicates that whites are more likely to get call back even if they have fewer years of experience than applicants of Latino or African American heritage.
However, Blank (2019) cautions social workers against the flawed viewpoint that racism affects only minority community. The author observe that members of the white community also experience racial bias albeit on a relatively smaller scale. Conversely, social workers should be trained to identify early triggers of racism. Glaser (2014) notes that indoctrination towards racism manifests at a tender age as children grow. Consequently, it is apparent that parenthood and growth environment play a crucial role in the establishment of racial tendencies among their children. Triggers may range from ethnic jokes, racial slurs, to outright discrimination. Social workers can assist in the change of racist policies as happened in the case of New York Police Department’s cessation of secret spying of Muslim communities (Matt & Goldstein , 2014).
Conversely, racism is a contemporary social problem in the US that has far reaching ramifications. Social workers play a crucial role in educating the public about the negative impact of racial profiling. Social workers may also take part in the rehabilitation of victims of negative racial profiling and bias to enhance the quality of their lives. Essentially, social workers should strive to promote culturally competent societies through social education, research, and policy development. Interventions may include the advocacy for equal opportunities in access to education, health services, and employment for all communities.
