I’m sure you’ve seen or heard the latest interview with Charlemagne tha God with Joe Biden, and it seems the conversations are mixed as to whether or not Biden was just joking with his comment, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
Some Black people seem to think it was outrageously inappropriate while others see no issue with it. I’m curious as to what you think.
The thing about being a Black Social Worker is that we have to decide where WE stand on issues, candidates, policies and programs. Not where Essence Magazine says we should stand, not where Biden, Trump, our parents or our grandparents say we should stand.
Our community can’t afford to produce another generation of Black Social Workers who are apolitical, ahistorical or antiblack. Many of us simply were not taught the value and importance of keeping Black issues in a cultural context. Nor were we taught how to unapologetically advocate for the changes we need to see in our families and neighborhoods. But one of the questions that we have to ask ourselves is, to whose benefit is it for us to have this lack of knowledge? Who benefits from our advocacy for better programs, policies, resources and interventions related to the Opioid Epidemic when our communities have not healed or recovered from the ravages that were created under the Crack Epidemic.
We are part of a culture with a unique experience in this country. We are also part of a profession where we see the politics of this country, impacting the programs in our counties and states, which in turn directly impacts the lives of Black families everyday. So I would love for you to join my facebook community where you can learn what it takes to design a career that shape the conversation around Social Justice and transformative…if this is your desire.
If you didn’t get this education in school…that’s ok, neither did I. But if this is the career path you want to pursue, you have to begin asking the right questions as it relates to politician’s relationship to Black people, to political parties and to systems of government that impact the health, family dynamics, living conditions and the quality of schools for your clients. I don’t want you to fall into the trap of fear based politics, where you vote, during every election cycle, centers around selecting the “lesser of two evils.” Because remember it was Trump who said to Black people, “What do you have to lose by trying something new, like Trump? You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed, what the hell do you have to lose.” When in reality, we have the same to lose as any other group of people who has sought to make a life for themselves in this country…our homes, jobs, our healthcare, our businesses, what we have to lose is everything we have fought so hard to gain since the time of emancipation. We are called to make very difficult career decisions in this profession, and we can’t choose to disengage from the political process which frames our understanding of our historical oppression. Understanding politics is critical to your advocacy at the state, local and national level. If you want to be a part of the next generation of healed, politically educated, academically astute and culturally grounded professionals, please join me in the facebook group to so learn what is required to create a value aligned career!
