My Race?

This post can take two different directions. One, what race you would describe yourself to be ethnically; and two, what race you are running in life.

How would you describe your race? This is a question we ask every consumer while we complete our intake form. Today a woman responded to me by saying "human". So true, yet so politically incorrect. Sometimes it frustrates me that I have to ask everyone this question, when we serve each of them with the same empathy and funding regulations. Why does it really matter? Why do we need to know their race? Do we really need to track what ethnicities are coming in? Yes, it is interesting to watch the demographics, but is it really necessary?

Now in terms of running that race in life.... What is my passion? What do I want to do? Who do I want to serve? Am I being true to myself in my daily activities? Balance in responsibilities and relaxation is important, and it is easy to become overloaded as a social worker trying to help everyone with whom they are working. Where am I looking for my race training? Who is/are my cheerleaders? How can I cheer others on in their life races?

Children

This week I have encountered a couple situations where I was talking to a (single) mom over the phone and I could hear multiple children in the background screaming and claiming for the mom's attention. Even as I was the person on the other side of the phone, I could feel the stress and pressure these women must have been feeling. It is so hard to hear and concentrate on the thing you're trying to work on when you have others fighting for your attention and direction.

One of the services that often becomes necessary for consumers at my field placement is childcare. Another issue that arises with that need is finances. The people we work with are low or no income, and have difficulty accesssing services to help them pursue work, affordable housing, etc. Too often we overlook the many challenges they face in their daily life and we should encourage them in the efforts we see them making while coming to us for assistance.