Ethnic-sensitive practices have developed increasing relevance in the social work literature. Diversity is a keynote feature in our society, and its inclusion in social work positively influences perceptions, behaviors, and interventions. I developed concern about race and ethnicity factors in social work after participating in an immigrant and refugee aid program in our local parish under Catholic Extension. We had traveled to the southern border to deliver charitable care to immigrant families. The southern boundary is diverse races and ethnicity, including Central Americans, Mexicans, black Americans, and Indians originating from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras. Differences in customs, beliefs, language of communication, and cultural values among the various immigrant races and ethnicities affected how we delivered our social aid.
First, the language barrier affected how we integrated and coordinated our charity program. The Mexicans spoke Spanish, whereas the native Indians communicated in Hindi. Therefore multilingual services were required to accommodate all the recipients with fairness. We had to introduce translators for effective communication and response when interacting with the ethnic and racially diverse communities. A conglomeration of people from diverse backgrounds demonstrates poor interest and response when there is a language barrier (De Vries et al., 2019). The translators had similar ethnic identities whose vocabulary and language evoked active participation. The immigrants were divided according to their ethnicities and addressed differently with a keen interest in individual group members.
We encountered varying customs and beliefs among the immigrants that we were unfamiliar with. I observed that the immigrants had integrated patterns of diverse and unique behaviors, including attitudes, thoughts, and actions attributable to their racial ethnicity. For instance, the Mexicans had a custom of maintaining family loyalty, African Americans had a hospitality custom, whereas Indians practiced many religions. Therefore our approach to donations differed whereby aid for the Mexicans was shared among family groups, while religious intermediaries were used to deliver assistance to the Indians. The black Americans were very welcoming of us, and the support was delivered. Racial and ethnic customary values enabled us to navigate the traditional barriers that would have potentially impeded our project.
Before attending the donation project, we had been composed by the youth leader how to demonstrate cultural competence and its importance. Unlike the customs, which are outward signs and rituals, cultural values aren’t evident right away and determine what is good and wrong in society (Corley & Young, 2018). We learned how to exercise cultural humility and sensitivity through examining our cultural background to enhance certainty of personal assumptions, biases, values, and stereotypes. Additionally, we were requested to abandon our values since they could affect our professional judgment, behaviors, actions, and decisions. For instance, the cultural values of Mexicans, black Americans, and Indians evident during the trip were royalty, compassion, and harmony. Understanding the cultural values enabled us to develop culturally competent interventions that appreciate their cultural values without prejudice or judgment.
Ignoring the ethnic and racial diversity in executing our church mission in refugee zones was impossible. Ethnic and racial diversities inflicted different customs, language barriers, and cultural values. We had to overcome the ethnic and racial barriers that would have potentially challenged our charity work. Ethnicity defines the values, language, behavior patterns, and lifestyle of social work groups critical for enhancing relations, predictability, and response. In my career as a social worker, I am preparing to work with clients with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
References
Corley, N. A., & Young, S. M. (2018). Is social work still racist? A content analysis of recent literature. Social work, 63(4), 317-326. Web.
De Vries, K., Banister, E., Dening, K. H., & Ochieng, B. (2019). Advance care planning for older people: The influence of ethnicity, religiosity, spirituality and health literacy.Nursing ethics, 26(7-8), 1946-1954. Web.