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... er, we read a dialog by House and Stalwick regarding Native Child Welfare and the experiences of Native Women. The lens in which the author views these topics is by a First Nations Perspective. The conclusion of the article states, "Once Native and non Native social workers are clear on their purpose, then study and action concerning 'personal problems and public issues', as well as the setting of assignments to solve them, follow naturally. " (p 106) Natives not living on reserves also have values and beliefs that are evident but a lot of times go unnoticed. Some include good child care so parents can work at a good job, decent places to live and treated with respect.
At the same time there needs to be a way to preserve their language and culture. There must be a First Nations Perspective if people are going to get along in the world today. I could not imagine my whole belief system, my way of life, and my values stripped from me to live the way someone else wants me to live. I should not have to make this choice. If I want my children to learn my beliefs and values, there shouldn't be any question as to what and where they learn. Native people have had to cope with their Identity taken away from them and forced to live the life of a white person.
In the report of Liberating our Children, Liberating our Nation, a native observes the takeover of Canada. " They felt obliged to save our people from ourselves by imposing a European structure of power and authority over our lives and a European Christian structure over our souls. " (p 1) Europeans continue to push their values on the natives without looking at the First Nations Perspective. I agree with Robina Thomas in An Interview with four social workers on how she connects the private troubles and public issues with regards to the First Nations People, "Natives have been labeled by whites without looking underneath to see why they act out as they do." When it comes to the word 'political', I also see the words 'fight for justice'. To me, being political mixes with my feminist perspective. I am female, divorced, and a mother of two.
I believe standing up for what you believe in is a good feminist attitude to hold. Ever since I was a young girl men dominated my life. I learned from my mother to keep my feelings hushed and 'what I see happening is not what is really happening'. Growing up with this perspective a child learns not to trust his / her own feelings and judgments. Back then I didn't know how to stand up for myself and desperately needed a boost in self-esteem.
My father and brothers believed the woman's place was taking care of mans every need. I carried this attitude into my marriage and blamed myself for it breaking down. It wasn't until I divorced and was forced to grow on my own that I learned the true meaning of feminism. And I know I do not stand alone when I speak up for women's rights, the rights of children, or whatever I feel needs to be addressed at that point in time.
I've learned that whether you are in front of a podium, or at the neighbors having coffee, speaking your mind on issues must be upheld for change to happen. There are many advantages to having a feminist perspective in the school of social work and we are seeing the outcomes of these teachings in today's society. Walls have been taken down in the home and women's issues have been exposed for the entire world to see. This may be a disadvantage to a controlling husband who believes like my father did that women should be seen to clean and take care of the mean. In other words if you don't do as I say, you " re out of here.
Private troubles and public issues are in very close resemblance to the feminist principle 'the personal is political'. Ben Carniol shows us an example of this in Case Critical. "The gendered and unequal division of paid and unpaid labor in and beyond the home, with it's negative impact on women's health, income, and status, is defined as exploitation that impacts personally and politically on all women. " (p 115) Myself, I am very much a liberal feminist and believe the issue facing women is denial of equal opportunity rather than oppression. A woman or women's group need's to speak, be heard and have an equal opportunity in today's age if they are going to grow. Regarding Gilroy's statement "social work is deeply enmeshed in the structures of inequality that exists in the wider world, including the inequality between men and women, " this is very true.
The inequality between men and women is only a part of the inequalities and structures of our society. When you look back to the woman's role in the home during the 1800 's, a person can see why the 'personal is political' and serves as a leader in getting issues to the limelight. So we see that all three of these perspectives, the Feminist Perspective, the First Nations Perspective and the Structural Perspective are all needed to view different angles of life. In other words, the right lens must be on before our focus is correct. It is my hope of future generations to stand up for their rights as a person, a member of society, a parent, an ethnic group and as a nation. n Bibliography: Works Cited An Introduction to Social Work Practice (Robina Thomas). (1995).
Interview with Four Social Workers. Part A. Carniol, B. (1995) Workers on the Front Line. In Case Critical: Challenging Social Services in Canada (3 rd ed) (p 56).
Toronto, Ontario: Between the Lines. Hobbes, Thomas and Locke, John. (1996). Liberating our Children. Liberating our Nations. Social Work 200 A Manual.
House and Stalwick. (1996) Native Child Welfare and the experiences of Native Women. Social Work 200 A Manual. Moran, B. (1992) A Little Rebellion. Vancouver B. C. Arsenal Pulp Press Social Work 200 A Manual.
Module 1 V (1996).
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