Discussion Response
PREPARE A REPLY TO THE DISCUSSION BELOW.
Bobbi DeVaul
U5D2- Social Agencies as Instruments of Oppression
COLLAPSE
Much of the social policy taking place around the time of the Civil War seemed to completely ignore the needs of African Americans. They were given no political power and were barely able to get help from government programs when it was in dire need. The growth that other populations experienced during this time left African Americans behind- typically only strengthening the gap between Whites and Blacks. Most of this was due to policies being enacted on areas of society that did not include this minority race (Stern & Axinn, 2017).
The oppression of African Americans continues to this day as government officials work to remove the unpleasant, though accurate, historical details from teaching criteria being brought into the schools of the nation (US, 2021). I have two sons that are mixed race and one of them is keenly aware of the ways that history is currently being skewed to enhance the appearance of historical fact. I am proud though that he remains steadfast in his insistence that the facts, regardless of how ugly they may be, are still facts. He believes in the idea that failing to learn history makes us doomed to repeat it. I hope he always works to harness his power as a mixed race individual to shed light on the grievous injustices that are perpetrated on minority races every day.
Stern, M. J., & Axinn, J. (2017). Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9780134292960
US was ‘founded on racism and national oppression’: African american writer. (2021). Press TV
NOTE: REPLY NUMBER 2
Amanda lewandowski
In response to the lack of public services for Black families The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in closed succession of the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation (Stern & Axinn, 2017). Freedom had not led to equality and this was present in all aspects of society, to include social services.
After the civil war there was and industrial boom in the north fueled by migrating Black workers from the south. Settlement houses supported foreign migrants who needed services and supports while they become accustomed to the area and kept factories running. The same opportunities were not available to Black workers. Settlement Houses were segregated and the conditions for minority residents were even worse than they were for traditional Settlement House tenants. Charity Organization Societies either refused to work with Black families or would only support a very small percentage of the rising urban population (Stern & Axinn, 2017).
Racial discrimination remains prevalent in social service todays. From health care to educational benefits, racial disparities are systemic problems that have not been solved to date. Nearly 81% of African American men are not receiving recommended annual cancer screenings (Ibekwe et al, 2022) and the CDC reports that the maternal mortality Black women 2.9 times higher than that of white women (Hoyert, 2022). Social Work remains a profession that employs a white majority. The Council on Social Work education found that in 2020 22% of new Social Workers were Black. As the filed continues to diversify so will the mission and work conducted on behalf of social service recipients.
References
Hoyert, D. (2022, February 22). Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2020. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2020/maternal-mortality-rates-2020.htm
Ibekwe, L. N., Fernández-Esquer, M. E., Pruitt, S. L., Ranjit, N., & Fernández, M. E. (2022). Associations between perceived racial discrimination, racial residential segregation, and cancer screening adherence among low-income African Americans: a multilevel, cross-sectional analysis. Ethnicity & Health, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2022.2043246 psychopathology. In S. I. Greenspan & G. H. Pollock (Eds.), The course of life: Vol. 1. Infancy (pp. 229–270). Madison, CT: International University Press.
Stern, M. J., & Axinn, J. (2017). Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9780134292960
