Running head: Critical Reflection on Social Work Practice and Policy 1

Critical Reflection on Social Work Practice and Policy

SOWK 651: Policy as a Context for Social Work

Collins Nwabunike

University of Calgary
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Exposition Section

Truth and Reconciliation

In the book, No Future Without Forgiveness (2012), Desmond Tutu gave an account of

how South Africa set an example of mercy to the rest of the world. He showed how historically,

oppressed people explored the possibilities of mercy and justice towards their former oppressors

(Tutu, 2012). I would say this book is somewhat of a personal memoir by Tutu as he gave an

account of some of the personal testimonies of the victims and perpetrators who appeared before

the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) (Tutu, 2012).

The book starts off with the election day in South Africa, when he decided to cast his vote

in a ghetto township among those who had been racially marginalized, living in squalors and

matchbox homes. He was then appointed to be the president for membership of the TRC by Nelson

Mandela. The TRC was there to provide a full picture of the gross human rights violations that

occurred in South Africa. “The commission was expected to promote national unity and

reconciliation” (Tutu, 2012, p. 127). They served as a crucial component of the transition to full

and free democracy in South Africa.

The essential key element that Tutu pushes for is in this book is the importance of

restorative justice rather than justice as a punishment (Tutu, 2012). He believed restorative justice

was the only way to end long-term violence. Being an Archbishop, he draws on many religious

quotes and talks about how true justice can only come from God.

The Uphill Fight for Social Justice

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) is known today as one of the most respected and

recognized activists when talking about America’s civil rights movement back in the 1960s (May,

2015). Additionally, MLK’s efforts to end economic inequality was one of the most revolutionary
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efforts in the United States (US) history. MLK noticed how his movement had done very little to

improve the lives of people living in the ghettos, noticing various urban riots (May, 2015). The

urban riots and his opposition to the Vietnam war lead MLK to more radicalized thinking. MLK

is noted as saying “Now I feel quite differently. I think you’ve got to have a reconstruction of the

entire society, a revolution of values” (May, 2015). MLK decided to launch a Poor People’s

Campaign and march in Washington requesting an Economic Bill of Rights that included a

guaranteed national income for the poor and government control of major industries (May, 2015).

He toured to raise money and recruit allies from the cities that had experienced riots.

Unfortunately, MLK’s efforts to try and persuade the poorest people to fly to Washington and join

the cause were ineffective (May, 2015). It was during this period that MLK was assassinated on

April 4, 1968. After the assassination MLK’s successor Ralph Abernathy pushed on and took on

the mantel and marched on Washington (May, 2015). Unfortunately, the March did not result in

an Economic Bill of Rights; instead, the national guard was activated and over 700 activists

including Ralph were arrested (May, 2015).

The article by Cindy Blackstock, gave a brief history of discrimination against First Nation

children and how the government of Canada knowingly provided unequal provision of health and

social services (Blackstock, 2016). Cindy gave an account of how the government not only knew

about the racial discrimination towards first nation kids but tried to impede and silence anyone

who spoke in favor of them (Blackstock, 2016). In the end “the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal

ruled that the Government of Canada (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) racially

discriminated against 163,000 First Nations children” (Blackstock, 2016).

Both of these articles look at how the fight for social justice on a macro level is one that is

nothing short of a long uphill battle. Despite the challenges and resistance most movements
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encounter toward equality, we must not give up hope. Like MLK, we must keep dreaming for a

just society, as the next generation has taken on the mantle to fight oppression through various

movements such as the LGBT, BLM and #MeToo movement.

Climate Change: The biggest threat of the 21st century

“Not since World War II have more human beings been at risk from disease and starvation

than at this very moment” (Klare, 2017). I really appreciated how Mckibben (2016) uses the war

on climate as a metaphor to help drive the message. Climate Change like every other warfare put

millions of people at risk and it is, in fact, the next WWIII. The WHO predicts that potentially

250,000 humans will die annually between 2030 and 2050 due to the impacts of climate change

(Watts et.al., 2015). Unfortunately, it is the victims who have contributed the least to climate

change, who will be the ones most affected.

In 2009, at the Copenhagen Accord, a majority of the world’s nations formally recognized

the need to cut carbon emission to at least 2°C (Mckibben, 2016). However, the current average

temperature is just under 0.8 degrees Celsius and has caused more global impact than predicted

(Mckibben, 2012). It is estimated that the earth’s atmosphere can handle up to 565 more gigatons

of carbon by mid-century. However, what is really sobering is that we currently have 5x more

fossil fuel than we can handle which is precisely 2795 gigatons of carbon (Mckibben, 2012). Based

on our current rate of 0.7°C per decade we are on track to raise the global average temperature to

over 4°C in the next 85 years (Watts et.al., 2015).

Over 20 million people in the following years are at risk of death due to climate change

(Klare, 2017). Using the recent famines globally as a valid indicator of what a climate-change

planet might look like, we can expect to see a drop-in rainfall and frequent droughts over much of

Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Middle East (Klare, 2017,. Notenboom, 2018). We are
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getting closer to the very tipping point of no return based on essential physical features in our polar

ice caps and the pacific’s coral reefs (Notenboom, 2018). Climate change threatens to destroy

every ecological structure in Africa (Notenboom, 2018). The Amazon is at risk of turning into a

grassy savannah whereby more than half of its much-needed rainfall is expected to be cut due to

climate change (Notenboom, 2018). These changes will likely create more droughts and a loss of

biodiversity, pushing earth to its tipping point.

Reflection

One of the key learning moments I drew up upon was from Desmond Tutu’s book, that

will help influence my future practice as and approach toward justice. It's become evident to me

that the majority of the leaders I looked up to such as MLK, Mandela, and Tutu were highly

influenced by religion. The church played a vital role during the rallies and mobilization of their

cause. Their approach and protest to influence policy were mostly peaceful. On February 11, 1990,

Mandela had been released from jail after 27 years. The Jailers had done everything to break his

spirit and instill hate. However, on the day of his inauguration, Mandela invited the same white

jailers to the front row as honored guests. The fight for equality should be fought with love not

hatred, after all, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind to the systems of oppression.

The second key learning moment was the need to not turn a blind eye toward any form of

oppression. Over the years Canada has had a long history of injustice, much similar to the United

States. It's not so long ago that Canada publicly apologized for the residential school system - a

system that still persists till today. It's 2018 and we have more children in the child welfare system

now than we did back during the residential school era. Despite Canada’s proclaimed promises

towards truth and reconciliation, we see very little effort actually being done to help First Nation

children.
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The articles on social justice made me realize how in the face of oppression they are only two sides

in every movement. These include those who chose to further support the status quo and those that

advocate for equality. To feel indifferent to a cause is to support the status quo and enjoy the

privilege of not walking in the same shoes as those oppressed.

My final key learning moment was around, the need to think more broadly, as an emerging

social worker, I often focus on the micro and the mezzo factors related my clinical practice and

forget about the macro factors such governmental policies that indirectly shape my current

practice. I have become more aware that the biggest security threat and global health threat of the

21st century is climate change. The earth is getting hotter and we need roll up our sleeves and go

to war on climate change. We have seen this same sort of mobilization during the world war II,

thanks to Roosevelt. We already have the technology to generate 80 to 85% of our power from the

sun, wind, and water by 2030, and 100% by 2050 (Mckibben, 2016). So, I believe there is hope in

humanity to beat climate change, however we need to push for policies that promote green energy

and stop carbon emissions into the earth’s atmosphere.

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References

Blackstock, C. (2016). The long history of discrimination against First Nations children: The

unequal provision of health and social services for First Nations children has been

documented for more than a century. Is this the moment when the wider public will

demand action? Policy Options. Retrieved from

http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/october-2016/the-long-history-of-discrimination-

against-first-nations-children/

Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. New York, New York: Doubleday.

Klare, M. (2017). Climate Change as Genocide: Inaction Equals Annihilation. Naked

Capitalism. Retrieved from

By http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/04/michael-klare-climate-change-genocide-

inacton-equals-annihilation.html

May, G. (2015). Revolution of Values: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Poor People’s Campaign.

Bill mores. Retrieved from http://billmoyers.com/2015/01/18/revolution-values/

McKibben, B. (2012). Global Warming's Terrifying New Math. Rolling Stone. Retrieved from

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-

math-188550/
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McKibben, B. (2016). World at War: We’re under attack from climate change—and our only

hope is to mobilize like we did in WWII. New Republic. Retrieved from

https://newrepublic.com/article/135684/declare-war-climate-change-mobilize-wwii

Notenboom, B (2018). The Tipping Points. Knowledge Network Corporation. Retrieved from

https://www.knowledge.ca/program/tipping-points#program-episode

Watts, N., Adger, W. N., Agnolucci, P., Blackstock, J., Byass, P., Cai, W., ... & Cox, P. M. (2015).

Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health. The Lancet,

386(10006), 1861-1914.