Share an insight gained from reading their post. Ask a probing question that will help you gain a deeper understanding of their response.

What idea, experience, or statement resonated with you the most, and why?: The Voices of Diversity video dove into many common struggles, racial issues, and enlightened complex environments. There were many shared experiences and ideas on the issue at hand. A section of the video that stood out to me was the conversations on racial fatigue. This comes with two individuals having separate experiences and a constant of explaining or expressing with a lack of understanding from the other individual involved. This can be taxing or draining to constantly explain to people who will not be able to comprehend the extent that racism goes. This emotional work is a constant for marginalized populations, not only in common public places but also at work or in professions (Marsiglia et al, 2021). The weight of emotion should not solely be on that population, but the social workers have great opportunity to create a safe space and demonstrate cultural humility (Brock-Petroshius et al, 2022).

What is one strategy described in the video that you will apply toward your self-awareness and/or cultural competence? How might this strategy help when working with a client who is racially or ethnically different from you?: The video discussed and provided examples to go towards self-awareness and cultural competence. One strategy that resonated was continuous active listening and demonstrating cultural humility. Building rapport with the client by letting them express their involvement and even understandings of their experiences (Brock-Petroshius et al, 2022). This can be successfully demonstrated by self-reflection, having a nonjudgemental mindset, and asking open-ended questions. A goal for the social worker is to ensure the client feels recognized and respected while being an advocate for them (NASW, 2020).

References:

Brock-Petroshius, K., Mikell, D., Washington, D. M., & James, K. (2022). From social justice to abolition: Living up to social work's grand challenge of eliminating racism. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work: Innovation in Theory, Research & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2022.2070891

Marsiglia, F. F., Kulis, S. S., & Lechuga-Pea, S. (2021). Diversity, oppression, and change: Culturally grounded social work (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

National Association of Social Workers. (2020, June 10). Anti-racism now and forever more. https://www.socialworkers.org/News/News-Releases/ID/2187/Anti-Racism-Now-and-Forever-More