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A Social Worker's Reflections on Power, Privilege, and

Oppression

Article  in  Social work · May 2008

DOI: 10.1093/sw/53.2.99 · Source: PubMed

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 guest editorial

A Social Worker’s Reflections on

Power, Privilege, and Oppression
Michael S. Spencer
o

T he pursuit of social justice is a core social

work value (NASW, 2007). Social workers
promote social justice by engaging in activi-
ties that promote equality of opportunity, challenge
injustice, and advance social change, particularly on
ment in time. A lot has happened in the past seven
years, and as my social identities have evolved and
my understanding of them becomes increasingly
complex, I find the need to contemplate again on
the question, “Who am I?”
behalf of vulnerable and oppressed populations.This My interests in issues of oppression, power, and
is easier said than done. Oppression and systems of privilege began with my own experiences as a per-
power are extremely complex, multifaceted, and son of color who has experienced racism. I identify
saturate our individual psyche and external environ- primarily as Native Hawaiian, but I also identify as
ment. As social workers committed to social justice, mixed race. As a person of color, I am often placed
how do we challenge and change these systems of in a position in which I must process the disrespect
power? How do we find a standpoint from which I perceive or the assumptions that others make
to act? Paulo Freire (1970) stated that a commit- of me. For example, I know what it is like to be
ment to social justice requires a moral and ethical grabbed by the arm at a campus restaurant on my
attitude toward equality and a belief in the capacity way to the restroom and be asked to bring people
of people as agents who can transform their world. their drinks. I also know what it is like to seek the
Furthermore, he stated that to create social change support of a friend following this incident and be
and to promote social justice, we must begin this told, “That could have happened to anyone.” The
process with ourselves—through a self-reflective most painful thing about racism is its invalidation,
process that examines the contradictions between even more so than the incident itself. I hope for
our espoused values and our lived experience. We reconciliation, but I recall that reconciliation requires
must believe that all people, both from dominant and “truth.” We are just beginning to learn about the
targeted groups, have a critical role in dismantling truth of racism in this country and, thus, are still far
oppression and generating a vision for a socially just from reconciliation.
future. For if only people from oppressed groups Among people of color, however, I have the
take on this responsibility, there is little hope that privilege of light skin. I know this privilege has al-
we will ever achieve our vision. lowed me to be more trusted, accepted, and easily
As a social worker and an academic who identifies assimilated within the dominant culture. I have also
strongly with the profession of social work, I take been educated by the dominant culture and taught
these words of Freire and other scholars of social to think like the mainstream. I know how to speak
justice seriously. In 2001, I had the honor of partici- “properly.” Growing up as a Native Hawaiian edu-
pating in a presidential plenary panel at the Society cated in Hawaii under the U.S. educational system, I
for Social Work and Research Annual Conference.As never heard the word “colonization.” The spiritual-
part of this plenary, I presented an introduction that ity of my ancestors was taught to me as mythology.
provided a reflection of who I am and how my social Although I know there is much in my culture that
identities are affected by the dynamics of oppression I have lost, I still reap great benefits from my as-
and privilege. The speech was published later that similation, including my ability to pursue higher
year in Advances in Social Work (Spencer, 2001), and education and ultimately my current employment
every year since I have taken the opportunity to at the University of Michigan. I was made palatable
further reflect on who I am at that particular mo- to the dominant culture.

Spencer
CCC / A Social Worker’s
Code: 0037-8046/08  Reflections
$3.00  ©2008 National on Power, of
Association Privilege, and Oppression
Social Workers 99
 My education has moved me from my status as a More often than not though, I do think about my
child growing up in an impoverished neighborhood sexual orientation or at least how I present myself
in Honolulu to a middle-class professional living as a heterosexual individual. I own one pink shirt,
in Ann Arbor. I have the privilege of selecting the the one my children laugh about. I like to sing and
“right” neighborhood with the “right” schools so enjoy musicals, but I am thoughtful about who I
that my children will have the best chance in life. share this information with. Growing up, the worst
I remember the shame I felt about where I lived thing in the world someone could call me was
as a child and the shame of using food stamps and “gay.” Among my male friends, those were fighting
what people would think about me if I did not buy words. Today, I am aware of the violence that the
the cheapest brands.Today, I know what it is like to gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) population face on
spend the equivalent of another family’s weekly, or a daily basis. I deplore this and actively work as an
even monthly, grocery budget on one meal. Also, I ally. However, I still think twice before I pull out
have the means to buy fair trade goods and consider that pink shirt.
whether the clothing I am buying was made in This past fall, I recall standing on the sidelines at
sweatshops, but ironically I do not consider this on my son’s football game and hearing fathers refer to
a regular basis or when it is not convenient. boys as “pussies” when they were not as aggressive
As a man, I benefit from the objectification and as they should be. I should have said something, but
subordination of women. I have been witness to the I did not. I wanted to fit in with these men. I did
conversations of men who assess women by their not want them to call me “gay.” I wanted to keep
body parts. I do not have to worry about whether every drop of privilege that comes with being a
I need to leave the office before it gets too dark heterosexual man. I chuckled a little, but with this
or walk through the alley that is a short cut to the chuckle, I perpetuated the discrimination of the
parking garage where my car is parked. One evening GLB population and condoned the violence they
after work, as I was walking to this garage with a experience. I did not need to say anything—just
female colleague, I found it entirely inconvenient chuckle—because oppression does not require me to
that she did not want to walk down the alley, the actively discriminate to perpetuate it; it just requires
short cut. It did not occur to me that women have that I do nothing to stop it.
been sexually assaulted in this alley. I have the privi- As an able-bodied person, I do not have to take
lege of not needing to know this information. As a into consideration the time it will take me to find
man of color, I often feel like I do not possess the an accessible entrance and figure out how I will be
same privileges of maleness as white men. However, able to get to where I need to go. The snow along
that evening in the alley, I realized the privilege of the sidewalk from the neighbors who did not shovel
assuming physical safety. before leaving for work is a minor inconvenience. I
I also benefit from identifying along the male–fe- have never had to ask for accommodations, for extra
male gender binary. I present very much as a man. No time to finish an exam, for large print, or for real-time
one ever has to wonder what pronoun to use with captioning. I know the privilege of people assuming
me. I also do not have to worry that if my fingernails that I have full cognitive capacity based only on my
or hair get too long that someone will realize I am physical appearance. As a person of color, though, I
not the gender I present. I do not need to bind my can relate to being gawked at and stared at by people
chest so tight I cannot breathe. The thought that who are not used to seeing “my kind.” However,
someone would want to beat me, rape me, or kill I can typically find places where I can blend in or
me because of my gender identity and expression where my difference is seen as an asset.
has never crossed my mind. No one will call the As a person who was raised as Christian and
police if they see me in the men’s restroom. I feel currently identifies as agnostic, I have the privi-
this privilege intensely when I attend Transgender lege of enjoying religious holidays associated with
Day of Remembrance and read the name on the Christianity and know that no one will expect me
card that is given to me. It is the name of a trans- to work on these days. No one wonders if I am
gendered individual who was killed this past year. associated with terrorists because of my beliefs or
I shed tears and recommit to the understanding of feels nervous if I am on the same plane with them.
transgender issues, but in my everyday life I rarely When I encounter carolers it does not offend me.
think about my gender. In fact, I stop to listen. No one thinks I am from a

100 Social Work  Volume 53, Number 2  April 2008

 cult, that I am going to cast evil spells, or calls me
a hippie because of my spirituality. However, I do
know what it is like for a child to throw paint on
my child’s new shirt in art class because he said he
does not believe in God. But, these experiences are
somewhat rare, and the times I have benefited from
my Christian upbringing are countless.
As a social worker, I strive to be an ally. Adams,
Bell, and Griffin (2007) defined an ally as an indi-
vidual from an agent group who rejects the domi-
nant ideology and takes action out of a belief that
eliminating oppression will benefit both agents and
targets of oppression.These authors describe several
different characteristics of an ally, including taking
responsibility for one’s own learning, acknowledg-
ing unearned privilege, and being willing to be
confronted, to consider change, and to commit
to action. The authors also describe allies as those
who are willing to take risks and try new behaviors,
despite their fear. In my years of striving to be an
effective ally, I am struck by the amount of courage
that this activity takes. Furthermore, the authors
state that allies must be willing to make mistakes,
learn, and try again. Allyship requires tremendous
humility. It means never being truly culturally
competent, but rather, recognizing that the pursuit
of critical consciousness is a lifelong process. My
reflection as a social worker continues, for I am still
a work in progress, and I would like to encourage
my fellow social workers to also continue with such
reflection. 

References
Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. (2007). Teaching
for diversity and social justice (2nd ed.). New York:
Routledge.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder
& Herder.
National Association of Social Workers. (2007). Code of
ethics. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from http://www.
naswdc.org/pubs/code/default.asp
Spencer, M. S. (2001). Identity and multicultural social
work research: A reflection in process. Advances in
Social Work, 2, 1–11.

Michael S. Spencer, PhD, is associate professor, School of Social

Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; e-mail:
[email protected].

Spencer / A Social Worker’s Reflections on Power, Privilege, and Oppression 101

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