Focused On The Power Of Privilege And Oppression

I’ve been so consumed and focused on the power I do not have and the oppression I have experienced because I am African American. I have failed to recognize the privileges I experience due to being Christian. Privilege involves unearned rights and advantages solely based on membership in a cultural group. Christians have several advantages because the presumption that the belief in Christianity is a social norm; this can often exclude the traditions and values of other religions through institutional religious discrimination. (Blumenfeld, 2006) As a Christian, it is guaranteed that I get Christmas off work without justification because it is a national holiday. I love the fact that during Christmas time, I can hear Christmas music on the radio

It’s discouraging to see people of the Islamic faith being threatened or being victims of violence because of their religious faith, fortunately; I do not have this problem. What is it about some people that they have such a pressing psychological need to feel superior to someone in society? There are men who need women to be inferior, Christians who need non-Christians to be inferior, religious believers who need non-believers and atheists to be inferior, citizens who need foreigners to be inferior, and heterosexuals who need gays to be inferior. Why can 't those who are different be equal in their differences? However, I do believe that Christians are losing privileges; we are losing the ways in which we had previously been treated better than everyone else. It 's not unlike the controversial topic of the elimination of "white privilege". Religious privilege and especially Christian privilege is one of the few traditional privileges that continue to be openly defended in modern

According to Sue (2005),

“A culturally competent social worker is one who is actively in the process of becoming aware of his or hers assumptions about human behavior, values, biases, preconceived notions, and personal limitations.” (Sue, 2005) I work with many individuals with varied race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion and mental or physical disability that are different from my personal identity and I do not find it difficult for me to educate myself and seek understanding the nature of their social diversity and oppression. In fact, I find it intriguing learning about their backgrounds. However, on occasions their values may conflict with my values and when this occurs it is vital for me to remind myself that my ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life and enhance their well-being. For instance, I had an African American adolescent client that was in foster care who wanted to break her family cycle by graduating from high school and pursuing higher education, which was the deciding factor for her wanting to terminate her pregnancy. As an African American woman I understood her decision, however; as a Christian woman I could not support it. Despite my beliefs, I gave her all the necessary