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?
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 with the oppression of racism, and I have come to accept
that many years ago. In looking at my
sexuality. I have grown heterosexual, to
no sexual, to identifying with bisexuality.
Over the years, I have become more spiritual and less religious in
personal belief practice. I had attended
many churches that condemn and or openly accept bisexuality along with
homosexuality and transexual communities.
To get a perspective on understanding the relationship between being a
black bisexual male, I recommend that you read a journal article by Henderson,
L. (2009). Between the Two: Bisexual Identity Among African Americans. Over the years, I have prided myself on
learning to love and accept myself while being more compassionate, and less
self-serving has, in many ways, defined my cultural being. The love of my family, our growth, and our
diversification have strengthened me while embracing life's challenges.
In the practice of social work, cultural competency is
important for social workers to imply understanding and awareness of culturally
diverse populations that differ from their experiences and similarities within
a larger social context. Looking at a
nation like the United States, we have seen a demographic shift with increased
diversity within our population, and to work with any diverse community around
the world, one must practice cultural competency. According to the National Association of
Social Workers publication on Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence
in Social Work Practice (2007), “cultural competence requires social workers to
use an intersectionality approach to practice, examining forms of oppression,
discrimination, and domination through diversity components of race and
ethnicity, immigration and refugee status, religion and spirituality, sexual
orientation and gender identity and expression, social class, and abilities”
(p. 10).
One of the biggest barriers to cultural competence would be when someone lacks cultural humility, along with little interest and knowledge in working with different cultures. Language, training, and even education can become barriers to cultural competence, and to overcome them, a social worker must be open and willing to seek help with guidance, training, support, and increase their knowledge of cultural competence.
I feel for me to have a better understanding of various social constructions of culture, I must begin with understanding the principles and core values of social work by applying and practicing cultural humility. Through my social work practice and use of theories, I can apply social constructions of culture to garner ideas and ways to benefit others within my practice while adapting to societal changes.