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Racism
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Issue Statement
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Racism has historically been pervasive in United States However; it goes without saying that racism has been a
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human inclination since the beginning of man’s emergence on earth. . According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:
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“racism, also called racialism, is any action, practice, or belief that reflects the racial worldview—the ideology
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that humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called "races," that there is a causal link
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between inherited physical traits and traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral
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features, and that some races are innately superior to others (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013).
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The United States, as is well known, has a history of racism that dates back to the country’s origin. A prime
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example of the institutionalization of racism in the United States is the treatment of Native Americans during the
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nineteenth century. For example, in order to open land for expansion to the western territories, President Andrew
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Jackson enacted the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (Study World, 2013) also known as the Trail of Tears. The
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Indian Removal Act mandated that Native Americans, mainly the Cherokee nation, were to be removed from their
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lands located west of the Mississippi River. They ordered to leave their lands in what amounted to as a forced
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march that resulted in many Native Americans suffering from exposure, disease and starvation on the route to
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their new destinations (mainly in North Carolina and Florida). It has been estimated that 60,000 of the 130,000
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relocated Cherokees died on the way. Sadly, at the same time that the Native American were being subjected to
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racist laws Africans were still being kidnapped from their homeland and imported to the United States as slaves.
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These two examples drive home the fact that racism is indefensible but nonetheless existed for many years in the
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United States and still exists in many communities.
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As the country grew and immigration increased, the United States became a decidedly multi-cultural society.
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However, the influx of immigrants from Europe and, to a lesser degree, Asia only added to the racial and ethnic
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intolerance that was ingrained in the country’s ethos. By the late 19th Century, scholars recognized that issues of
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race and ethnicity play a considerable role in shaping societal norms and values. Furthermore, they came to
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understand that in large multi-racial and multi-cultural (pluralistic) societies such as the United States, it is
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essential that governmental and civic leaders articulate, both in law and in policy, that dominance by any given
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race or ethnic group is unacceptable and unsustainable. Mostly in response to the difficulties that the country had
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in absorbing mass immigration, a major philosophy for dealing with the conflicts related to racism and
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ethnocentrism emerged. It was referred to as cultural pluralism.
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“In the United States the pragmatists Horace Meyer Kallen (1882–1974) and Randolph Silliman Bourne (1886–
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1918) supplied a spirited defense of diversity during World War I. Although the American political tradition of
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classical liberalism championed individual rights, it failed to extend those rights to include the right to be
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culturally different. Liberal rights had wrongly assumed "that men are men merely, as like as marbles and
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destined under uniformity of conditions to uniformity of spirit," Kallen wrote in "Democracy versus the Melting
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Pot”. The right to cultural identity was essential to selfhood, however, and Kallen called for a "Federal republic,"
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a "democracy of nationalities, cooperating voluntarily and autonomously in the enterprise of self-realization
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through the perfection of men according to their kind” (Science. Jrank.org, 2013). This philosophy, of course was
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the foundation for what we today refer to as cultural diversity.
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The concept of cultural diversity became rooted in movements that go back many years. For example, The
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Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s also reflected the principles of cultural pluralism through its open expression of
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black pride and its celebration of black culture….”Alain Leroy Locke (1886–1954), America's first
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African-American Rhodes scholar and a former student of William James, furnished the guiding vision of the
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Renaissance and helped to achieve Bourne's "beloved community." Finding beauty within himself, through a
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rebirth of black art, the "new Negro" would thereby achieve the moral dignity suited to a "collaborator and
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participant in American civilization". Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude Mackay, Jean Toomer, and
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others awakened black pride and offered an aesthetically and spiritually barren industrial capitalist America
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African-American wisdom and beauty instead of the ashes of materialism” (Science.Jrank.org). Racial/cultural
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diversity as tool for ethnic inclusion gained currency as we moved into the twenty-first century.
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The 21st Century is an important milestone for America as it relates to how the current and future generations deal
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with racism and cultural intolerance. This is because the country is on the verge of one of the dramatic changes in
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the racial/ethnic make-up since the early 20th Century. The United States will soon become a majority minority
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society. “Minorities, which means those of any race other than non-Hispanic, single-race whites, were about a
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third of the U.S. population, according to Census figures. However, it is projected that by 2042, those racial and
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ethnic groups are likely to comprise more than half the population, and by 2050, 54 percent of the
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population will be minorities” (Cable News Network (CNN), 2008).
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This fact has obvious socio-economic and political implications for the country. More importantly, the idea of the
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United States becoming a majority minority country has huge sociological implications for which we need to be
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prepared. By 2054, the question of how to manage and adapt to pluralism and multi-culturism will need to have
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been answered. Historically, in democratic countries where there is a history of racism dramatic demographic
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shifts that brings the oppressed minority to an equal or majority position with the oppressor, the result is tension,
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resentment, and sometimes violent resistance to the inevitable change. This is where strategies that prepares the
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country for change comes in play.
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The suggestion that dynamic shifts in the racial/ethnic power equation will, in its self, end racism is probably
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naïve. Racial and ethnic groups will continue to struggle for equal access and opportunity, particularly during
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times of slow economic growth and wide disparities in income distribution. However, with the shift in the power
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dynamic by 2054, it would be expected that the degree to which racism exists will be greatly lessened. Therefore,
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the objective would seem to be to reinforce a national ethos that places a high premium on concepts of social
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accommodation that is ingrained in the pluralism, and acceptance of racial diversity points of view. All of which
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should be linked to social policies and laws that codify the nation’s determination to be an inclusive and fair
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society, the idea of dominance by any race or ethnic group becomes morally unacceptable.
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NASW has exhibited ongoing leadership in developing policies and programs to significantly diminish if not
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eliminate racism in society, and within the social work profession. According to the NASW Code of Ethics,
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“Social workers . . . should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to
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meet basic human needs and promote social justice. . . . Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate
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domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class” (NASW Code of Ethics,
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2000). NASW will continue its leadership role in developing practice strategies and programs that embrace
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racial/ethnic equality and cultural diversity.
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NASW institutionalized, as a part of its core values, Cultural Competence Standards that serve as guidelines to
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enhance racial/ethnic and cultural appropriateness in service delivery to diverse client groups. A key statement in
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those standards is that, (NASW) encourage “the development of a high level of social work practice that
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encourages cultural competence among all social workers so that they can respond effectively, knowledgeably,
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sensitively, and skillfully to the diversity inherent in the agencies in which they work and with the clients and
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communities they serve” (NASW Cultural Competency Standards, 2001).
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Management of the ongoing racial/ethnic pressures and tensions of a multi-cultural society that is making a
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historic transition from a majority white country to a majority minority one can be daunting. While this
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demographic change is inevitable, the country still grapples with inequities that can be attributed to race/ethnicity.
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For example, racism often plays itself out in the pervasiveness of disparities within the nation’s bio-psychosocial
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institutions such including:
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Education systems that continue to reflect significant disparities in the quality of education received by an
African American or Hispanic child as compared to white children;
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The overall national unemployment rate during 2013 was approximately 7.6 percent. During that same period,
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the unemployment rate for African Americans was 13.5%; for Hispanics the unemployment rate was 9.6
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percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2013). Disparities in the housing market are exemplified by the
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disproportionate losses suffered by African Americans and Hispanics during the collapse of the housing
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market which reached its peak in 2008. The so-called housing bubble during which millions of Americans
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loss their homes to foreclosure largely due to unscrupulous and outright fraudulent mortgage financing
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practices was seen as one of the causes of the world-wide economic depression (2008-2012). According to
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Think Progress, “Although the majority of affected borrowers have been white, African-American and Latino
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borrowers are almost twice as likely to have been impacted by the crisis. Approximately one quarter of all
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Latino and African-American borrowers have lost their home to foreclosure or are seriously delinquent,
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compared to just fewer than 12 percent for white borrowers. Asian borrowers have fared better as a whole than
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Latino and African-American borrowers, but they, too, have been disproportionately affected, especially in
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some metropolitan areas” (Think Progress.Org, 2013).
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Health and behavioral health is another example of how race/ethnicity is a prime factor in apparent
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disparities in terms of access to care and quality of care. A succinct explanation of how race/ethnicity can be
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factored in the health disparities equation is found in the idea of Social Determinants of Health which are
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conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship (Centers for
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Disease Control, 2013). Examples of social determinants include:
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o Availability of resources to meet daily needs (e.g., safe housing and local food markets)
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o Access to educational, economic, and job opportunities
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o Access to health care services
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o Quality of education and job training
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o Availability of community-based resources in support of community living and opportunities for
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recreational and leisure-time activities
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o Transportation options
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o Public safety
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o Social support
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o Social norms and attitudes (e.g., discrimination, racism, and distrust of government)
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o Exposure to crime, violence, and social disorder (e.g., presence of trash and lack of cooperation in a
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community)
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o Socioeconomic conditions ( concentrated poverty and the stressful conditions that accompany it)
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o Residential segregation
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o Language/Literacy
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o Access to mass media and emerging technologies (e.g., cell phones, the Internet, and social media)
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o Culture
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(Centers for Disease Control, 2013)
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The social determinant of health factors can be used to assess to probability of poor health outcomes for a given
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population. For example, when we look at each factor we can reasonable conclude that most can be associated
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with low-income people of color living in an urban environment.
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Racial/ethnicity disparities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems are another area where we see lingering
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evidence of institutional racism. Racial disparity in the criminal justice system exists when the proportion of a
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racial or ethnic group within the control of the system is greater than the proportion of such groups in the general
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population. The causes of such disparity are varied and can include differing levels of criminal activity, law
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enforcement emphasis on particular communities, legislative policies, and/or decision making by criminal justice
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practitioners who exercise broad discretion in the justice process at one or more stages in the system (The
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Sentencing Project). The indicators of racial disparities in these systems are:
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the overall population;
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Latinos constitute 19 percent of the prison and jailpopulation7 compared to their 15 percent share of the
population;
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Thirty-eight percent of prison and jail inmates are African American compared to their 13 percent share of
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A black male born in 2001 has a 32 percent chance of spending time in prison at some point in his life, a
Hispanic male has a 17 percent chance, and a white male has a 6 percent chance;
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To restate the Encyclopedia Britannica’s definition of: “racism, also called racialism, is any action, practice, or
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belief that reflects the racial worldview—the ideology that humans are divided into separate and exclusive
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biological entities called "races," that there is a causal link between inherited physical traits and traits of
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personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral features, and that some races are innately superior to
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others. The issue of racism in America, broadly speaking, is (and has always been) how does a complex
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multi-cultural society overcome a history of discrimination based on race, ethnic and origin of birth? The country
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has struggled with this question since its inception. Organized protests against racist policies have existed from
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the anti-slavery abolitionist movement which began in the late 18th century through the Civil Rights Movement of
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the 1960s. Such pressures on government have resulted in significant changes in public policy and in changes to
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the constitution to combat the practice.
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Though it is undeniable that there have significant improvements in race relations overt racial discrimination over
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the years, racism has not been eradicated. This is compounded by the fact that changes in laws and public policy
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can go but so far in ending racism. To truly achieve a race neutral country there has to be a change in how
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individuals adapt to and accept racial/ethnic differences. As we move deeper into the 21st century, the expected
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changes in America’s demographic will almost certainly bring about a new dynamic in race relations. Whether or
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not that dynamic is conflict free is not clear. However, as was true in the past, social justice and civil rights
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advocates, political leaders and government have a role to play in helping to guide the nation to a more
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accommodating path to social change.
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The social work profession with the leadership of NASW has been a part of the vanguard that has monitored and
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spoken out against all forms of racial injustice and violations of civil rights. The issue for the profession is how it
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will position itself to have a voice in eliminating and/or mitigating racist practices and racial disparities as the
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country adapts to new demographic realities. Social workers are to some degree first responders for populations
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that are negatively impacted by racism. They work with undocumented immigrant families that face significant
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discrimination, with criminal justice involved individuals and families that have to overcome the barriers of both
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race and stigma, and social workers are on the frontline of helping individuals and families that have life altering
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bio-psychosocial problems related to health disparities. All of which means that the social work profession has a
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major stake in helping to bring about changes in values and attitudes that perpetuate unfair and discriminatory
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access to services and resources based on race/ethnicity and national origin.
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POLICY STATEMENT
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NASW supports an inclusive, multicultural society in which racial, ethnic, class, sexual orientation, age, physical
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and mental ability, religion and spirituality, gender and other cultural and social identities are valued and
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respected. NASW is a proponent of forward thinking social policies that seek to foster diversity at all levels social
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discourse ranging from the workplace to where we live. NASW encourages government, national social
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justice/civil rights organizations, and faith-based organizations to become vocal about preparing the nation for
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demographic changes that are imminent by openly advocating for respect for cultural differences, racial/ethnic
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inclusion as opposed exclusion, and embracing the value of accommodation when dealing with cultural
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differences.
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From a policy perspective, NASW espouses the principles of cultural pluralism as described in the background
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section of this document. By definition, cultural pluralism is not a remedy for racism; it is mechanism for
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multi-cultural societies to adapt to the convergence of various cultures into a functional whole without major
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conflicts. A central tenet of cultural pluralism is that can co-exist without losing their own cultural identities.
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As a concept cultural pluralism is an alternative to the “melting pot” view that immigrants should assimilate to
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American culture by abandoning their own cultures, languages, and other traditions. Cultural pluralists insist that
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different ethnic groups have enriched the American way of life as immigrants and native-born citizens have
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learned from one another, thereby broadening their views on art, cuisine, education, history, music, and other
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aspects of life.
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During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which saw the largest surge of immigrant arrivals in
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American history, an anti-immigrant backlash took the forms of nativism, xenophobia, and other expressions of
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prejudice. Criticism of the unfamiliar appearances and behaviors of the newly arrived peoples prompted
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discriminatory treatment of the new immigrants in education, employment, government programs, housing, and
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public accommodations. As a result, the advance of industrious and talented immigrants whose efforts could
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enhance American progress was held back (Immigration on America, 2013).
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As a part of its policy guidelines on combating racism, NASW believes that the nation can institute proactive
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strategies that will lead to a greatly reduced number of communities and individuals that hold onto racist or
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ethnocentric values. Already there is a much more far-reaching acceptance of workplace diversity policies in
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government, industry, and in many communities. Because diversity programs are a by-product of the cultural
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pluralism philosophy, NASW believe if the nation continues on that path, it will be preparing itself for the
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demographic shifts expected by the middle of the 21st Century,
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NASW’s guidance for social workers is that each social worker must adhere to the ethical responsibility to
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demonstrate culturally competency in their workplace with fellow employees, those under their supervision and,
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more importantly in their areas of practice, Additionally, NASW’s policy for responding to current occurrence of
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institutional racism is to work in coalition with other organization with a civil rights and social justice agenda to
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advocate for reforms in public policies and/or enact legislation that will eliminate racial discrimination and
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disparities based on race/ethnicity.
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More specifically, NASW will seek reforms in bio-psychosocial service delivery systems that have historically
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been plagued with racial disparities and cases of overt racism, including:
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race/ethnicity
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The Public Education System where there are significant disparities in quality of education based on
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Employment opportunities where there is a wide disparity in the unemployment rates of persons of color as
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opposed to white Americans; Health Care and Mental Health Services has been subject to racial disparities in
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terms of access to care and quality of care; Criminal Justice System where there are documented instance of
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disparities in incarceration rates, arrest rates and in sentencing.
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REFERENCES
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Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm
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(Cable News Network (CNN) Minorities expected to be majority in 2050. Retrieved from
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/13/census.minorities/index.html?_s=PM:US.
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Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from
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http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=39.
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Encyclopedia Britannica. Racism. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/488187/racism
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Immigration in America. Cultural Pluralism. Retrieved from
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http://immigrationinamerica.org/454-cultural-pluralism.html?newsid=454
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National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. 2000.
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National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Cultural Competency Standards. 2001
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Science. Jrank.org. Retrieved from http://science.jrank.org/pages/10750/Pluralism-Cultural-Pluralism.html.
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The Sentencing Project. Retrieved from:
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http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_reducingracialdisparity.pdf)
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Studyworld.com. The Indian Removal Act of 1830. Retrieved from:
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http://www.studyworld.com/indian_removal_act_of_1830.htm
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Think Progress.Org. Latinos, African Americans Twice As Likely As Whites To Have Been Affected By The
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Housing Crisis. Retrieved from:
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http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/11/18/372517/latinos-african-americans-housing-crisis/?mobile=nc