Topic
Oppression
Instructions
The Oppressed-Vulnerable, At-Risk and
Disempowered Populations.
1 Watch these three videos and write a 3pages, essay on these subjects:
Make a list of populations you consider oppressed within your
living and work area. Select two populations and discuss what
factors may play a part in their oppression.
Thinking about your growing years, choose one population that
you remember being oppressed in your community. Discuss
how you saw them experiencing oppression and factors that
contributed to the oppression.
Looking at your own life, discuss if you have ever felt,
vulnerable, at-risk, disempowered and oppressed and discuss
(as much as possible) what was the situation and the feelings
associated with the oppression.
Finally discuss how the profession of Social Work attempts to
reduce the damage done by oppression.
Vernā Myers: How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them-
https://www.ted.com/playlists/250/talks_to_help_you_understand_r
(Links to an external site.)
Bryan Stevenson: We need to talk about an injustice – TED.com
https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_in
justice?language=en
(Links to an external site.)
Why we need gender-neutral bathrooms
https://www.ted.com/talks/ivan_coyote_why_we_need_gender_neutral_bat
hrooms
(Links to an external site.)
Answer preview
Working in a culturally diverse population, there people coming from different birth places, speak more than 100 languages and identify with different religions. In my working area the population is generally composed with people of black origin, Asian origin with the Caucasians making the majority of the population. With the blacks being the minority in this population, they are subjected to a number of oppression, prejudice, and stereotypes. From the video, most of the speakers highlight on the oppression that most of the black people undergoes in a community where they are a minority. Verna Myers articulates that on the resilience and the brilliance of the African-American who were faced with brutality that has been going on for centuries. She articulates violence and police brutality has been part of national psyche and a collective history that is fueled by stereotypes and prejudice.
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