Experiences of Oppression I believe that everyone from teenagers to adults experience some form of oppression in their lives.  Whether it be oppressions of exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence, and domination or other, they will feel the impact and have to navigate in a way to address them head on.  For me I had to deal with marginalization's such as racism as a man of color - an African American male, my sexuality for identifying as bisexual, ableism for  my lost of some hearing, and adultism after crossing over the age of 55.    I have always considered myself a part of the LGBTQA+ community and often times when someone learns of my sexual identity, often their perception of me or treatment of me changes a bit.  After experiencing some lost of hearing and having to wear heading aids, I had been denied a chance of moving into a new work assignment or position, because it requires a person wit...

Marginalized Populations In module 4 our class learned about current issues and social work practice.  I was assigned to group 3 as we tackle the marginalize population related to Queer Theory.  I am reminded that week is  Transgender Awareness Week.  Transgender Awareness Week, observed November 13 to November 19, is a one-week celebration leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), which memorializes victims of transphobic violence.  I ran across an article by Google on "How tech creates new space for the trans community."  The article talks about supporting trans people in tech, and helping small business owners succeed online. Group 3 did our presentation on QUEER THEORY that consist of the marginalize population of the LGBTQ+ community. ​ Queer theory seeks to disrupt dominant and normalizing binaries that structure our understanding of gender and sexuality. Heteronormativity describes the belief that heterosexuality is and shoul...

  Social Construction of Identities                                            According to Helena (2021), social constructionism is the underlying philosophical view that believes our meanings about the world are co-created by people rather than reflections of an ‘objective’ reality.  I agree that social construct is something that exists not in objective reality but as a result of human interaction.  Interacting with others is extremely important to me to understand the cycle of socialization and how it affects those I encounter.  Culture  Culture can be defined as all the ways of life, including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation.  This is true for me, as culture has been taught, demonstrated through behavior, and seen with my very own eyes.  As I have be...

What factors shape your identity? What parts of your identity do you choose for yourself? What parts of your identity are determined for you by other people or by society? In our discussion on the analysis of culture and social work, I shared this post: Southern born and raised in the Northwest Valley in a city called Fort Smith in the state of Arkansas, I identify with the term – as a country city boy in my early geographic humble beginnings.  In a family rooted in a strong Christian upbringing, I grew up in poverty without fully understanding just how poor our community was and without allowing it to define us.  When the ugly heads of oppression made their presence felt, I was taught to face oppressions of race, class, ableism, and religion face to face and accept who I am.  Those cultural aspects and more shaped and mold me into the gentle, loving, and respectful person that I am today.  As an African American man, I have and feel that I will always have to deal w...