Power, privilege, and classism are interconnected. The more privilege you enjoy, the more power you have to access opportunities that build wealth. The more wealth you can amass, the higher your social standing. It is important to note that having wealth is not an indictment. However, the privileges that have often led to inequalities in wealth distribution are real. As a social worker, you may find yourself working with clients who do not enjoy the privileges you knowingly or unknowingly enjoy. The more you understand your own relationship to power, privilege, and class, the better you will understand your clients' realities. For this Discussion, review how classism is represented in the Hernandez family.
By Day 5
Post
- An explanation of how classism is demonstrated in the Hernandez video.
- Identify specific barriers to social services that the Hernandez family experiences because of their class status (e.g., working poor).
- Explain how the intersection of class (e.g., working poor), ethnicity (e.g., Hispanic), and migration history (e.g., move from Puerto Rico to mainland) may further impact the Hernandez’s experience.
- Identity 2-3 strengths in the Hernandez family.
- Provide recommendations for how social workers might address issues of classism present in the Hernandez case.
- Explain how recommendations would address class issues.
Hernandez Family Episode 4
Hernandez Family Episode 4 Program Transcript
FEMALE SPEAKER: So how's your week going? What's happening with that Hernandez family? That's their name, right? You were having some challenges there?
FEMALE SPEAKER: They've missed four of their parenting classes, so far.
FEMALE SPEAKER: So they haven't completed the parenting group?
FEMALE SPEAKER: I have to call the ACS worker and let her know. They're probably going to have to take the classes over again, and that's going to be tough. The father misses overtime to come to the classes, and they really rely on that money to make ends meet.
FEMALE SPEAKER: You have something else on your mind. Say it.
FEMALE SPEAKER: I should have discussed this with you earlier. I don't know why I didn't. But perhaps they weren't the best candidates for this to begin with.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Because of their financial situation?
FEMALE SPEAKER: Yes, and something else. I remember the ACS worker. And when she talked about wanting Elena, she kept calling them Mexicans. It was really derogatory the way she said it.
FEMALE SPEAKER: So you're saying she might have been biased into mandating that they take these classes?
FEMALE SPEAKER: Yes. The more I think about it, she never talked to me about trying to understand the way they're raising their children. And that Mexican remark, it just really wasn't respectful. It's like she had already made up her mind about people from that culture, and now they're paying the price for it.
Hernandez Family Episode 4 Additional Content Attribution
MUSIC: Music by Clean Cuts
Original Art and Photography Provided By: Brian Kline and Nico Danks
©2013 Laureate Education, Inc. 1