What Is Privilege In Social Work

Passing and Privilege African Americans, in earlier history have passed for the more dominant “white” race. This avertible process in the United Sates happened when certain African American outward appearances gave no visible indication that he or she was of the “black” race and, therefore was able to pass as white in order to prevent the stigma linked with the discrimination that African Americans endured during this earlier time period. This was a dilemma that was filled with complexity because it forced these individuals to only be able to claim one of their racial identities and not the other, leaving them with a feeling of isolation and levels of confusion. People, who use what is known as Passing did so in order to be able to live a more privilege or less complicated way of life. These individuals found it less disconcerting in the ability to secure a job, eat in certain restaurants of choice, and have the same perceived opportunities that were bestowed upon white people simply because of race or color.
Passing is considered an act of deception because it allows a multiracial …show more content…
The implications of racial passing have impacted current social work practices because it has allowed practitioners to be more conscious of their diverse clients. Racial passing is different now then it was in previous years. A homosexual who is “still in the closet,” is an example of an individual living the life of someone straight, in order to avoid the stigma associated with that lifestyle. Racial passing has also caused more honesty in our country. Many individuals are proud of where they came from and who they are as a person and they are not afraid to display it, but because people may have accepted being multiracial it then becomes more challenging for a social worker because one might have to be culturally competent for multiple ethnic