I just watched The Critical Social Worker Podcast with guest Marya White , I thought it was a really great conversation and was filled with great insight and so much wisdom! I want to be a social worker like her! I was kind of nervous going to school to become a social worker because I have seen a few social workers not really represent the community and in some ways work against it, there is a lot of broken trust .Hearing Marya describe how she approaches families that she is working with is really amazing and revolutionary, she is aware, gentle with the complex circumstances and handles with great skill the families. She explains it has really helped her be an empowering force in the lives she is working with, Marya said she “wants to empower not disempower, and helps them navigate the system.”
Marya described when she was placed in a home with a completely different background as her, like being in a majority white community and there being rebel flags everywhere. She also told a story of a inner city child being placed with older Christian family, I’ve seen this kind of thing played out in my own community, where many Ak native children are placed outside their tribes and communities and don’t get to form very important connections and experience their own culture. Or Christians trying to adopt all the addicts children and adopt them under the parents feet. I think we just really need to understand the backgrounds, social aspects and cultures we are working with and truly care about people.
I could 100% relate to and identify with the distrust that Black communities have toward the child welfare system. There is a lot of the same sentiment in other minority communities. I think maybe the disconnect with the community needs and what the system is, lies in how many people working within the system actually come from the community or have a love for the welfare of these communities.
I think the level and price of education is a real gatekeeper in this. I’ve experienced this myself in that is has taken me over a year just to learn the math to even be able to pass the college entrance. I wonder how many people were born to foster healing and change in their communities who don’t have a voice because they have never been to college? Or because they cant get through algebra?
When Mayra shared her experience with the single Black Dad getting his child taken and how it was conflicting to her, she got to advocate for him by working with him to get his child back as quickly as possible. Listening to this podcast was really insightful and hopeful, because although the system has historically been ripe with problems, we can be powerful in that we can advocate and empower the vulnerable and bring sanity to a crisis. She said She” Shares power with the community she is working with ” And I love how she says she “humanizes herself with the client and being able to communicate.”
Josh Fine
Robi,
This podcast episode seems to have been insightful for you, I found the same for myself. The dynamic between race and social work is something that I have only fairly recently began to understand. Marya’s personal knowledge and lived experience comes through in this episode and helped me to understand the perception of social workers by non -white people. For most of my life, I didn’t realize the barriers that people of other races and ethnicities might have regarding social services. I really like your point regarding barriers to education, I have had the thought of “How many people should be here that aren’t able due to social barriers?” and it rings so true in the context of social work. Your post really hooked me to watch the episode, thank you for that.
Robi Naranjo
That was a great episode! I thought she had such good advice!
Trinity Greer
I found this podcast with Marya very enlightening and, as you said, insightful. She talks about knowing that she works for a system that is set up to work against the black community, and I feel like that takes such a courageous person to see that her workplace, the system, is wrong. I appreciate her transparency in that and straightforwardness in talking about it with her clients. With the example you used with Marya’s experience with a black single dad getting his daughter back, she immediately explained that the system is set up to work against people like him. She was upfront and honest with him and later got his daughter back. Her honesty with her clients makes them trust her; it lets them know she is there for them and wants to help them. She is truly inspirational. She also discusses the value system; she asks people to explain their culture and values to really understand them. Just because of how they look does not determine what their culture is or what they have experienced. I completely agree with you when you say that she is amazing and revolutionary.
Robi Naranjo
It was a really great episode, I like her honesty too, you can tell that just helps bridge that trust with the community and will help all of us just being able to advocate and navigate the system with people.
Maren Chaffee
Great perspective, Robi! It’s truly inspiring to hear Marya’s insights, and I agree that she sets a high standard for aspiring social workers. Her perspective on implicit bias is particularly relevant. It’s an aspect that requires constant mindfulness, regardless of where one resides. Marya’s approach to social work, especially her focus on empowering families, is truly inspiring and crucial in this line of work.
Robi Naranjo
So true, everyone has bias, we just have to really study ourselves and become aware of what they are .