a) conscious             c) unconscious
b) subconscious       d) all of the above

by Robert S. Schachter, DSW,ACSW
(October 1999)

After telling a story at the last Chapter annual meeting in April about what a Black social worker said about a deceased White colleague, a former chapter president told me in passing that I took a big risk in bringing this up. I guessed that she was concerned that I would be misunderstood. I hoped that I wasn't and feared that I was.

This is what happened: In the early morning on the day of the annual meeting, after having basically determined what I wanted to say as part of my annual report about the Chapter, I realized that I had left something out. Our annual meeting planning committee wanted to make the connection between our evening topic, "And Social Justice For All?", to the issue of how social workers of different ethnic and racial backgrounds relate to one another as colleagues. A meeting on this was scheduled for June titled "Bias and Privilege Among Social Workers" (see the September issue of Currents), and I suddenly realized that I had an opportunity to bring this up. At that point, after stepping out of my morning shower, a memory of Patrick Moriarty's memorial service popped into my head. Patrick was one of the most loved social workers I ever met. He epitomized the essence of the warm, caring and spiritual professional. He was also the only White member, over the long term, of the Chapter's Affirmative Action/Multicultural Affairs Committee. Why he was the only one speaks volumes.

My memory of the service involved the words of Patrick's colleague at the Day Care Council, a Black woman. With all who were gathered standing around her in a circle, she pronounced, slowly, in a strong, resonant voice, that "Patrick was a White man who was a Black man".

After a few moments, I felt these words penetrate into the core of my being. She had paid Patrick a very high compliment. She clearly felt that Patrick was unique in his level of respect and openness with his fellow human beings when such qualities are experienced as rare in a society so often separated by difference of one's skin color. I couldn't help but say to myself that I'd like to be thought of that way, but that I don't think that I fully measure up.

I realized that perhaps I shouldn't admit this about myself in front of several hundred social workers. Still, I felt compelled to tell this story, one, because it struck me as profound, and two, because I believed the story lead into saying why it was so important for White social workers, as well as all social workers, to attend the meeting on Bias and Privilege Among Social Workers.

As I ended this story at the annual meeting, I said that I saw myself striving to earn the type of recognition as was given to Patrick, and that all social workers might also take it into consideration in regard to relating to different groups. This could be a path to follow. It was suggested that the upcoming June meeting would be a helpful place to start.

Concerns at work, in the schools, and at NASW

But the question might be asked, why are you sharing all of this? The answer is not a simple or painless one.

For one thing, the question of how social workers of color experience their relationship with White social workers comes up a great deal at NASW, reflecting concerns in the field as well as within the professional association. Whether from a social worker who is Black, Latino, or Asian, we are hearing that there is a continuous experience of being misperceived, stereotyped, patronized or discriminated against, albeit subtly, both from outside and from within the profession, at work, in the schools, or within NASW. Determining when this is occurring from when it might not be is often, and possibly always, an issue for people.

Second, the point was made at our roundtable discussion on bias and privilege among social workers that many White social workers often find it helpful to identify with the issues that people of color are going through by relating to the experiences of their own families or ethnic groups and the oppression that we may have in common. The more difficult aspect of all of this is coming to recognize that ethnic identification has its limits and that Whites social workers need to also acknowledge, if they haven't already, that their membership as part of a racial group has a profound history that continues to manifest itself into the present.

Its one thing to relate in terms of a common experience of being oppressed. It's quite another to recognize one is a member of a group that has been , and in certain ways continues to be, the oppressors. This is heavy and raw stuff and many of us might recoil from hearing this.

Where does such recognition lead?

For myself I have found that it is important to seek a greater level of self-awareness about my relationships with others and to determine where and when I might be acting or reacting in ways that are contributing to these problems. If I am not contributing to these problems, there is yet another question. Am I helping to improve relationships given some of the circumstances that exist?

In general, it's an issue of consciousness. What happened to me at the memorial service was that my consciousness was deepened. From paying attention, and from participation in such forums as the roundtable on bias and privilege, I sense the possibility of an on-going un-folding of consciousness.

As we move down this path, we might just encounter Patrick. If you see him, please say hello.