Racism & Poverty
As a young child, I knew I wanted to have a meaningful profession. I wanted a career that focused on advocating for others who were disadvantaged, those whose voices were not heard, and those whose voices were not viewed as necessary. However, I knew different, to listen to the stories of people who struggled. There is a lot of wisdom found in these conversations. We all struggle in our ways, and learning empathy is hard to teach others. I remember an African Proverb, “seek knowledge from the wise and ignorant.”
I learned early in life if you are smart enough, pretty enough, famous enough, rich enough, the world will cater to you or dismiss you. As social workers and mental health wellness clinicians, we do not talk enough, write enough, be accountable enough to address institutional biases. Macro social work informs us that we should seek social justice, and at the same time, we remain silent and submissive when working in institutions for fear that our jobs and careers will be at stake.
hese fears are often the challenge I see with social workers, especially those working in the field of child and adult protection. They see these injustices, racial biases, gender discrimination, economic imbalances, and more. They cannot speak up because they fear getting fired, not getting promoted, or being criticized and evaluated with lower achievement scores. There are no laws or policies in place that indicate social workers cannot speak up. We do not find any policies and regulations to protect social workers means silencing those who work for institutional systems. No one wants a social worker to talk about these injustices.
Let’s take a minute to think about this in a more profound, meaningful manner. One of my first cases as a children’s social worker illustrates this idea. A family was being cared for by a relative. There were a handful of children, and they lived with this relative for many years. They were all well connected, shared cultural experiences, and loved each other. However, they were poor and a family of color. During this time, a federal law passed requiring all relatives to meet the exact requirements as certified foster families. Now, this is not a discussion about the frustrations with the law. It is about the process and unfairness of those in poverty and judged based on their skin color.
This family was separated three times and not because of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. They were separated because they were poor. They could not afford to relocate and find other housing. They were
not even provided time to seek out another accommodation. This is hard, especially when you’re poor, for many reasons. They were also separated because they were a family of color. They did not have relatives that would offer support, sometimes found in other cultures. They did not have access to resources sometimes provided to different cultures. The child welfare system wanted to implement this law right now. These children were removed on three separate occasions. A bit crazy, some would say.
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I experienced this as a great social injustice, one of the most significant memories in that career. I was forced to follow orders and told I would get written up. As a new social worker, you are learning, so I didn’t contest. I just kept doing the job supervisors, and managers wanted me to do. As social workers, we all have stories like this. The children and families that stick with us. Eventually, I learned ways around some of the political stuff, and it took time. However, many families like this are continually traumatized by the decisions of others. It’s a pattern, and when you don’t have the money, you are vulnerable to this type of intrusive trauma.
We need to move towards a greater change within the child welfare system. We must implement policies that protect their workers by allowing them to speak up for their families. To remove some of the power and control from administrators because they often see families as a “number,” and there is a behavioral pattern to put them into a box. We must change our perspectives and see families who have a life experience dating back several generations. Families have limitations, and our expectations set them up to fail before we investigate. To write or talk about the family strengths and explore different ways to understand their strengths as a tool to eliminate concerns of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children.
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Growing up in poverty and being labeled a person of color in the US has taught me that I have a shared experience. Millions of families are affected by poverty all over the world. They are affected directly or indirectly. There is no surprise that statically people of color are disproportionally displaced in lower-income areas. I visited Australia and chatted with a few Aboriginal families. I learn that although they were native to Australia, they are disproportionally affected by racism and poverty. Social workers and those in the helping field need to understand that this limits one access to education, health care, healthy nutritional choices, mental wellness, etc.
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In the US and within my profession, we term pathology in terms of mental illness. Many psychoanalytic thinkers believe that human behavior can be explained and understood if you explore one’s consciousness, look at early childhood connections, or examine one’s internal way of functioning. Although part of this may be true for some, I argue that environmental factors such as poverty and social factors such as institutional racism impact one’s ability to function and thrive in a system that really doesn’t get it. There needs to be an integration of other factors. To explore those who are knowledgeable in health, fitness, medicine, science, math, etc., to look at the system a family lives within.
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Therefore, I use an integrative approach to understanding mental wellness. One aspect of how poor mental health underlies issues of poverty and racism is through nutrition. I made an effort to learn more about nutrition, examining how the foods we eat impact our mental wellbeing and treatment options that support a happy life. We must think about food differently. We must eat nutritious and detoxing foods to the mind, body, and spirit and not based on taste. The first thing most people ask me is, “Does it taste good.” This is where some of the cognitive work needs to be done. We must understand more about the lies we believe and then work to change these lies to achieve our overall mental wellness goals.
I believe malnourishment is one of the root causes of many illnesses, pathologies. There is a reason why most malnourished and toxic communities in the US are located in lower-income neighborhoods and those surrounded by people of color.
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I like to provide this example of the connection between racism and malnourishment. Let’s look at the quality of food. I lived in Compton, ca, for several years. The grocery stores were filled with fruits and vegetables. However, there were few organic and pesticide-free options. Then I relocated, or I should say, I got a car and could travel to other areas. I had lunches and dinners in others areas, sometimes near the beach. It was usually surrounded by Caucasians, those with economic privilege, resources, and fresh air. I found organic, pesticide-free options and farms enriched food grown in nutrient and mineral-dense soil. I even enjoyed several restaurants that specialize in a higher quality of nutrient-based food options. I am learning; an Orange is not just an Orange. An Orange can be filled with toxins, or an Orange can be filled with minerals and vitamins.
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My last point, children, brought up eating poisons and junk, is impacted in many ways. They have more diagnoses of mental illness. Their genetic replication changes, and this affects their offspring for many generations. They struggle later to change their diets to nutritious and detoxifying foods because their body is used to being toxic. They are programmed to think healthy foods come in boxes with pretty labels. Their perspective is limited, and the world view becomes rigid and closed. Change feels like an impossibility. As mental wellness experts, we must consider many facts regarding inadequate nutrition and the psychological harm occurring in communities occupied by people of color and those with fewer resources.
I will end with this thought. Growing trees with lemons and oranges should occur in all communities, not just the ones that have money.