The Role of Social Work in Black Liberation

Abstract

charge, in essence, is that social work is an oppressive profession.1 Criticism of social work for failure to deliver on its claim of solutions to social problems is a persistent reality. Among the critics are the poor, the black, the alienated, the oppressed and members of the profession who perceive social workers as advocates of the status quo, perpetuators of welfare colonialism and as managers of social services and programs designed to serve the pacification and control functions of the larger social welfare system. This indictment generates the questions: Does social work as a profession provide adequate concepts for understanding the problems and social realities of oppressed communities? Are social services and programs in oppressed communities designed to meet their survival needs and liberation goals? If not, in what direction ought the profession move if it is to become a liberating force in oppressed communities? This essay, in response to these questions, offers a model for social work practice in the which proceeds from an expanded definition of the goals of the profession. Neo-colonialism, survival and liberation are the principal conceptual components. Neo-colonialism is used for analysis and understanding of social, economic and political realities of the oppressed community. Survival provides a way of perceiving needs and a framework for the design and provision of social services. Liberation is viewed as a phase in a larger movement for social and economic justice which requires a diverse range of strategies and practitioner roles directed toward the ultimate goal of being. The black community refers to all Americans. Notions of stratification are inconsistent with the basic communal value