Policy doesn't help us: Black feminist anthropology in the social work classroom

Abstract

“Policy doesn't help us,” was a refrain I heard repeatedly from one of my School for Social Work graduate students in a family policy course where I teach students how to complete a family impact analysis. The objective is to help social work practitioners understand the ways in which policies overlap to create often dire circumstances for families in need and how variously situated families experience these circumstance differently. In this article, I highlight the experiences of three of my students, each an African American woman social work student between the ages 25 and 50. I use black feminist anthropology to explore primary themes that centralize the importance of understanding varied raced, classed, and gendered experiences when delivering family and children's services. I use student's critical engagement and family impact analyses to discuss the ways in which black women's roles as service providers impact policy analysis and implementation of social services. I also discuss the ways in which I use the social work classroom as a site for the translation of anthropological research findings into changes in public policy and practice. At the root of this focus is an eye toward social change and social justice that benefits all families.