Within my current practice as a counselor in domestic violence and caseworker with the Latino community, the problem of oppression is a present reality. The oppression occurs in the economic racism and class relations within this population. There are many disadvantages that do not sustain or enhance life for the Latinos which affect their mental well-being. The oppression extends to the police stop and frisk that targets the economically disadvantaged neighborhoods such as where I practice with the Latino community (Geller et al, 2014).The result is the compromised mental health of this population based on the high levels of trauma and anxiety.
To deal with the problem of oppression in my practice, the two-pronged approach of critical reflection and intersectionality are important. My assumptions and actions in my practice may be upholding and reproducing oppression and the social structures that support it unconsciously. Just as the patients I work with may be unconsciously upholding oppression by their actions, feelings, and thoughts, the same may be replicated in my social work. The critical reflection is necessary to gain knowledge of how social structures work within the Latino community and thus become capable of working against injustice and oppression.
Intersectionality is useful in identifying the root cause of social problems with the Latino community based on analyzing the class, gender, sexuality, and race of the patients I work with. Within the intercategorical approach, I would identify the negative effect of social groupings and identities are shaped (Mattsson, 2014, p. 10). The intracategorical perspective would focus on the differences within the Latino community. In order to disclose and the social structures of oppression, a third approach would be useful in my social work. This would be the anticategorical perspective which emphasizes the social categories of gender, class, sexuality, and race as being fixed and real.
Part 2
Response to Foreno: I concur with Foreno that self-awareness is the starting point in social work when dealing with the problem of oppression. The awareness I buttressed with social reflection and the perspective of intersectionality. Once the social worker is aware of their agentive role in fighting oppression, they need to encourage conversations on the topic which may be uncomfortable. This is done with the aim of eliminating the color blindness on race and advocating for color bravery. The fight against social oppression can be enhanced by social workers who should be color brave. The social worker should, therefore, work to reduce the oppression by looking at the contributing factors such as race.
Response to Gargiulo: I disagree with the position taken by Gargiulo to Hobson’s stance of being comfortable with the uncomfortable topic of race. As a social work who is an agent who uses critical reflection, it is imperative that the discourse on race is not avoided. That would imply taking the approach of being color blind in social practice. This, in turn, would reinforce the existing social structures of oppression, economic racism and class relations. The intersectionality of social practice is complex and includes race as one of the social categories. Avoiding discussing race on the basis that it is an uncomfortable topic is shortsighted and ignores the commonalities of race, exploitation, and oppression. Gargiulo stands the danger of upholding the present social structure unconsciously in his practice by avoiding the uncomfortable topic of race.
References
Geller, A., Fagan, J., Tyler, T., & Link, B., G. (2014). Aggressive Policing and the Mental Health of Young Urban Men. America Journal of Public Health, 104
(12), 2321-7
Mattsson, T. (2014). Intersectionality as a useful Tool: Anti-Oppressive Social Work and Critical Reflection. Journal of Women and Social Work, 29 (1), 8-17.
