paulo freiré in the african diaspora implications forsocwork/new/documents/volume91.pdfgreetings...

Greetings from the Institute Chair

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Feeling the Spirit of Paulo Freiré in the African Diaspora

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Cambodian Refugees and their Historically Violent Social

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Promoting Social Empowerment & Building Leadership: Keys to a Non-Violent Movement

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How Questioning Our Thoughts Can Sow the Seeds for Peace

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Social Work with Afghan Communities: Peace-making Through Culutural Competence

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Noraida Abdullah-Karim: Profile of a Social Worker Peacemaker

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Editorial: Bringing in a Gender Perspective to Peacemaking

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Inside This Issue Peace and Nonviolence:

Implications for Social Work

Volume 9, Number 1. Fall 2007.

Multicultural Voices

SFSU School of Social Work

The Institute for Multicultural Research and Social Work Practice, San Francisco

Volume 9, Number 1. Fall 2007. Multicultural Voices

n June 1988 when the Institute for Multicul-tural Research and Social Work Practice (IMRSWP aka Institute) came into existence. I

was a determined student in our School of Social Work with a goal to earn a delayed MSW degree. Not only can I reminisce on the Institute’s nearly twenty years of a phenomenal history that came out of a vision that embraced ideas and thoughts to engage cultural differences, I proudly joined a leg-acy. I was elected as the eighth Director of the Institute for Multicultural Research and Social Work Practice in Fall 2006. It is with a sincere honor that I take on the duties and responsibilities that were performed by my predecessors. I follow in the footsteps of excellent directors Kenji Murasi, Rita Takahashi, Susan Sung, Margo Okazawa-Rey and Morgan Yamanaka. Each contributed an abun-dance of knowledge, wisdom, and creativity that I can draw from while we explore additional avenues to carry out the Institute’s mission.

As the director, my energy will be focused on supporting the School as we transi-tion administrations, and keeping with the mission of the Institute to advance the dissemi-nation of culturally diverse information by way of research, publication, education, and training. Under the helm of the School’s newly elected director, Dr. Rita Takahashi, we have an opportunity to move forward with a sense of commitment to fight oppression as well as advocate for social and economic justice. This means that the Institute can benefit by enfolding this energy into its own mission.

This is a time for the Institute to use its resources to publish its annual newsletter that serves as a medium to inform communities about the ideas and concerns that ema-nate from the social work community. We can sponsor activities such as forums and publications that speak out and let the voices of students, faculty, and communities be heard on issues close to home. Some that persist are the need to support same sex marriages; the protection of immigrant rights; expanded health care; keeping humanity in addressing the problem of homelessness; and always being advocates for children and the elderly. We can encourage participation in events that will illuminate the global issues such as the out-of-control war in Iraq or the unconscionable genocide that continues in Darfur as well as keeping vigilant on the progress that is being made to eliminate world poverty and global racism.

I sincerely appreciate colleagues, students, and staff who continue to be mem-bers in the Institute and I extend an invitation for others to join. I encourage students to explore different ways that the Institute can support their culminating projects or special events that represent the mission of the School and the Institute. Also congratulations to Dr. Jocelyn Hermoso, who volunteered to serve as Editor for this edition of the Multicul-tural Voices Newsletter.

My best wishes to all and I bid you to take care.

Liz Dunbar Knox, Assistant Professor, SFSU, School of Social Work.

Greetings from the New Institute Chair

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y travel to Brazil in summer 2006 in-cluded a trip to Recife the birth place of Paulo Freire. The excitement of

knowing that I was standing on the same ground where his educational philosophy took roots was an experience. Even more mind building was the closeness of what Freire purported about liberation in Peda-gogy of the Oppressed clearly resonates with the plight of people in the African Di-aspora. A brief stay was enough to rein-force my belief that Paulo Freire’s philoso-phy and teachings are very much alive and well. Brazil cast a reflection of my own Afri-can roots especially in Salvador, the third largest city, where 85 percent of the inhabi-tants are of African ancestry, the largest concentration in the Western Hemisphere.

Freire was born September 10, 1921, just 71 years after slavery was abolished in 1850; but it remained legal in Brazil until May 13, 1888. It is estimated that 3 to 4 million Africans were forced to come and they survived 500 years of slavery in Bra-zil. When Freire writes about the peas-ants, the dispossessed, the oppressed, he surely is referring to people of African An-cestry. They were displaced to the shores of South America in Brazil for the sole pur-pose of supplying the labor market to sup-port and sustain sugar cane plantations. It was in Freire’s hometown of Recife that the slave ships brought African slaves.

The enunciation of their arrival, “The chickens are coming! The chickens are coming!” carried the message that the mar-ket would be bustling with new human items. Sold as commodity fair market price in unfamiliar land, they were brought to tend the soil and cultivate the harvest that would never gain them the wealth for their children to inherit. Their free labor has not spared them of the poverty that has a steadfast hold and reveals its devastation in postmodern time. One would have to speculate that Freire saw the remnants of the slave history that helped give birth to his philosophy of education. Many of us in

the helping profession of social work rely on Freire’s teachings as praxis for social and economic justice.

Walking on this land of pain and tears allowed for an experience of connected-ness of a shared history. Of course the obvious point of disconnect was the in-ability to comfortably access the Portu-guese language. Not only did it create unimaginable frustration, but it served as a strong reminder that language is the mirror to reality. Clearly, it would have given more depth to my travel if the lan-guage was not a barrier. Having a guide to interpret serves a great purpose, but there was much of the experience that was probably lost in translation. Never-theless, it was a joy to be so close but yet so far.

What was captured was the tenacious heart and spirit of the people in commu-nity visits to Boladeiro, Estrela da Seara, and Calabar. The presence of “street children” is not exaggerated. Their young unattended and struggling lives are eve-rywhere and at all hours.

Feeling the Spirit of Paulo Freiré in the African Diaspora of Brazil By Liz Dunbar-Knox, IMRSWP Chair

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Continued on p. 6.

Walking on this land of pain and tears allowed

for an experience of connectedness of a

shared history.

"I’d like to say to us as educators: poor are those among us who lose their capacity to dream, to create

their courage to denounce and announce..."

Paulo Freire

Cambodian Refugees and Their Historically Violent Social Environment

By Denise Tan, MSW


any individuals come to the United States in order to seek new opportuni-

ties or an overall improvement in their life, sometimes arriving with the intention of achieving the “American Dream.” However, this does not ring true for everyone. Refu-gees, in particular, come to the United States as a result of escaping persecution and being forced out of their homeland. Cambodian refugees are one of many groups that have been severely affected by this is. They experienced displacement after millions were executed during the Khmer Rouge regime. Transitioning to life in America has not been successful for many of them and the “American Dream” continues to be elusive. Mental health problems, intergenerational conflicts, pov-erty, and gang warfare amongst their youth pervade many Cambodian communities.

Cambodians have undergone many trau-mas, stemming from the multiple occupa-tions in their country by various groups throughout their history. Geographically, as the country between Thailand and Viet-nam, and bordered by Laos, Cambodia was conveniently the target for invasion and experienced constant struggles re-garding the country’s territory. Beginning with the Thai in the fourteenth century, who raided the country and destroyed many

infrastructures; to the Vietnamese be-tween the seventeenth and nineteenth century who gained control and still has control of part of the country in the lower region; to the French colonization in the mid-nineteenth century; Cambodia has undergone the imposition of many groups for most of its history. (Chan, 2004, p. 3)

Despite the various attempts to rule Cambodia by other countries, the most detrimental attempt that had the most brutal effect on the people was that caused by the Cambodian civil war. It was during this time, from 1970 to 1975, that the US-supported Khmer Republic of Lon Nol, and the North Vietnamese-supported Community Khmer Rouge, fought a war that ravaged the country. The civil strife caused close to half a mil-lion casualties and displaced at least three million people (Chan, 2004).Eventually, Lon Nol was defeated and the Khmer Rouge took over the country.

In addition, the United State’s bombing campaign in Cambodian in efforts to tar-get the North Vietnamese in Cambodia

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Continued on p 10.

The Cambodian community is especially unique for their ability to survive

because of their resiliency and determination.

The author, Denise Tan, celebrating Cambodian New

Year with co-workers.


Promoting Social Empowerment and Building Leadership: Keys to a Non-violent Movement

By Raj K.Khadka, MSW Candidate

ocial Workers often face grim reali-ties in their profession: oppression of people based on race, sex and

sexual orientations; cultural, social, and religious discrimination; poverty, and many other social injustices that appear in various forms. Many times these macro issues affect human lives. To re-solve such issues, social and structural change must take place. Change is an inevitable feature of social reality, even though certain forces often resist it for fear of loosing their privilege, power and influence. Since social work values are based on social justice principles, the profession often places social workers at the forefront of social movements, orga-nizing and action.

Social Workers and Civil Society at the forefront of peacemaking

Realizing the need for change, people come together to organize, protest, and campaign, some violently and others peacefully. History has shown that vio-lent and radical movements can also overthrow oppressive systems or struc-tures. However, there is more loss than the achievements in such cases. Nepal’s Maoist inspired insurgency can illustrate this best.

The insurgency began in 1996 with a tiny group of radical Communists which eventually spread all over the country soon after. People who were attracted to this movement were not necessarily communists themselves, but wanted to rid themselves of the vicious cycle of poverty, and a socially and politically ex-clusive system.

A decade since the insurgency’s incep-tion, nearly 13,000 people were brutally killed, and thousands more disabled and displaced. The human and economic losses were immeasurable. Millions of people are living with trauma to this day.

People wanted the oppressive system overthrown, but not violently. Finally last year, a peaceful movement known as the April Uprising, became a vehicle for ad-dressing social problems and ending the authoritative royal rule as well as the Maoist insurgency.

It is worth recalling the April Uprising because the movement was initiated by civil society organizations (but later led by seven political parties). It was suc-cessful in protesting the King's rule through the mass mobilization which were mocked by then colonial powers, government, power-holders, even radi-cals and fellow friends who had little trust in achieving objectives through non-violent means. Some people, who bene-fited from institutional racism, despised the King and considered him a hypocrite who spoke about peace and non-violence but created strife and disorder ( Ling, 2003). But nothing could shake King’s philosophy of non-violence for

S

Continued on p. 11.

The April Uprising became a vehicle for addressing

social problems and ending the authoritative royal rule as well as the

Maoist insurgency.

In April 2006, thousands gathered in Kathmandu and other cities to calling for the restoration of democracy. These mass demonstrations were called the April Uprising .


One could also hear the movement of gentrification that masqueraded as a way out of poverty. Family property, the land that may have taken the last breath for many to obtain was being sold to the developers who kept steady eyes on the vulnerable looking for a way out of their daily struggle to survive. At the same time, there was the hope. Freire contends that hope is needed to break through a “culture of silence.” Nothing is more hopeful than seeing it in the eyes of children. It was a school for toddlers to adolescents, who illuminated their determination in a safe place. It was in a place like this school that Freire’s philosophy of education was reflected. The people in this community came to-gether and built their school, primarily staffed by volunteers who also lived in the commu-nity. Through their own praxis for justice they were hopeful that they had the power to influence change.

The Brazilian culture clearly distinguishes between the have and have-nots but they would like to adhere to the notion that racism does exist. However, distinctions are no-ticeably made along color lines. The fair skin have more privilege, the darker skin are most excluded. This creates further tension when shades of skin color extend to family lines where siblings may feel pressed to distinguish their identities because of the differ-ence in the color of their skin, but it provided a way in. The polarization was highly visible in the education system. I blame my keen observation on my experience of growing up in the segregated South. It was blatantly more than class difference.

Nevertheless, this school had a strong bond in the community and the workers are com-mitted to fighting inequality, social and economic injustices by claiming “education as lib-eration.” Their time in history is reminiscent of the Civil Rights Era in the United States. The people of African ancestry are fighting for basic liberties, one being the right and ac-cess to education. In the case of Brazilian children, compulsory education should be the rule of the land but currently it is not a government mandate. Therefore, children attend-ing school is not an enforced priority.

Amazingly, the people who are dedicating themselves to this one school were not asking that people in the rest of the world fight their battle for them. Their Freirian philosophy does not embrace relying on others to fix their problem. They are engaging in their own dialogical process and are not looking for outside leaders. What they did want and re-quested are the voices of those who are familiar with oppression to join in advocating jus-tice, especially in education. They will take responsibility for their transformation and be creators of their own liberation. They are asking that we do not perpetuate a “culture of silence” as we continue to progress in the U.S. As long as we keep a consciousness about injustices in our society, they are strengthened to continue their struggle. If we rele-gate to becoming as our oppressors, then their fight becomes more difficult.

Their voices came through loud and clear. I felt the spirit of Paulo Freire in the African people of Brazil. One could also hear the movement of gentrification that masqueraded as a way out of poverty. Family property, the land that may have taken the last breath for many to obtain was being sold to the developers who kept steady eyes on the vulnerable looking for a way out of their daily struggle to survive. At the same time, there was the hope. Freire contends that hope is needed to break through a “culture of silence.” Nothing is more hopeful than seeing it in the eyes of children. It was a school for toddlers to ado

Feeling the Spirit of Paulo Freiré...Continued from p. 3.

Continued on p. 14

The Freirian philosophy does not embrace

relying on others to fix their problem. They are engaging in their own dialogical process and

are not looking for outside leaders. What

they did want and requested are the voices of those who are familiar with oppression to join in advocating justice,

especially in education.


can’t do it!” “There’s no point,” “There’s something WRONG with me,” “I can’t live without him,”

“She never loved me.” Imagine a young teenager who believes these thoughts. What is her life like? We can almost be-gin to feel the depression, anxiety, de-pendency, and low self-esteem that she goes through. Maybe she begins cutting herself, maybe she becomes dependent on a boyfriend or girlfriend to take care of her and love her. As she believes thoughts like these she might start failing in school, she might turn to sex or drugs or cutting – all to find a way out of the prison of her mind. As social workers, we’ve seen this happen to people of all ages – right before our eyes.

Such thoughts are everywhere. Turn on the radio, the television, or listen to what is running through your own head when you feel angry or sad or hopeless, and you’re likely to hear painful thoughts.

These are personal thoughts, and they impact real people. Then there are also thoughts that create prejudice and war. “Black people are violent,” “White people are evil,” “Immigrants should go back home,” “Gay people are unnatural,” “The privileged aren’t willing to give up their privilege,” “Republicans are ruining the country” – these are all concepts that usher us into prejudice and conflict, around the globe. As activists and social workers, many of us have a deep desire to end this resulting fall-out.

About four and a half years ago I dis-covered something that has helped me solve problems in every direction – inter-nal, personal, societal, inter-personal, up, down… you name it, and The Work of Byron Katie can help you address it. “The Work” is a way of identifying and questioning thoughts. As I began to ex-perience the power and relief of this sim-ple, accessible way to question I quickly recognized versatility and adaptability of

The Work. Questioning thoughts could potentially free us from centuries of vio-lence and misunderstanding. For exam-ple, when I believe the thought “Republicans are idiots” I do not talk to Republicans. I feel righteous, I do not listen to them, I pigeon hole them by be-lieving that they think one particular way, and I even become afraid of entire states such as Alabama and Mississippi. As I question that thought I am much more open-minded, and much more available to have a conversation with a Republi-can. I am able to listen. Four years after discovering The Work, I know of no bet-ter form of peacemaking and activism than questioning my beliefs and living my turnarounds.

The Work is four basic questions and a turnaround statement. These questions are:

● Is it true?

● Can I absolutely know it is true?

How Questioning Our Thoughts Can Sow the Seeds for Peace

By Rachel Pickett, MSW Candidate

“I

Questioning thoughts could potentially free us from

centuries of violence and misunderstanding.

Continued on p. 15.

Rachel and her friend, John, during one of her trips for the Summer Inquiry Project.


ocial workers are blessed to work with people from many different walks of life, from many different paths of origins. Within California, a state enriched with diversity, a population has been recently discovered in the city of Fremont, in a town known as Little Kabul. Here, re-

sides generations of refugees from war-ridden Afghanistan, a country placed on the map after September 11.

There are no words to describe the malignant effects of war on a person, within a family or among generations. If you spoke with any generation of Afghans, you would pick up on caustic and pivotal life events from the wars in Afghanistan. Yes, Afghanistan has seen many wars throughout its history with battles during the Ghaznavid Empire (12th century) and into the Durrani Empire (19th century). Like its neighboring countries, Iran and India, Af-ghanistan was mildly influenced by the Russian and British con- quests. What is striking about Afghani- stan’s war history is that such atrocities did not end with it’s in-dependence from the British in 1929. For less than half a decade, the people of Af-ghanistan struggled with balancing the main religion of Islam with desires of moderni-zation, naturally forming two antagonistic parties. In the late 1970s, Afghanistan saw a tumultuous shuf- fle of power and random unpredictable coups from extreme radical Islamist right to farthest revolution-ary Marxist left. With the support of the rising Soviet regime, the Marxist ideological powers allowed for the power of the Afghan state to heed into puppeteers of communist rule; the invasion of Soviet Russians was declared in March 1978. Today, Afghanistan is more notable for its battles against the Taliban.

Peace continues to be the eternal desire and prayer of any Afghan native. Unfortunately, not many Afghans have experienced peace in Afghanistan and this, in many different and fundamen-tal ways has impacted their living outside of Afghanistan. As displaced immigrants, the social and economic challenges of establishing the basics: language, employment, housing, always prove to be monumental. This transition from homeland to no land stagnates to a halt when the population is permanently disabled from returning to their homeland. Identities are transformed, mentalities are changed, and the ability to pass down the values of culture becomes incremen-tally harder. Just as the Afghan people view other lifestyles as foreign, so do other populations view the Afghan people’s lifestyle as foreign. The dynamics change when these other popula-tions are the same populations of power, the only population with knowledge of resources and in a strange way, the population of master’s of change.

As social workers in training, striving for cultural competency is never ending. Modalities of achieving cultural competency among the Afghan population include an understanding of history, background, traditions, religion and systems of lifestyle, no different than other cultures. When working with the Afghan people, it may be important to keep in mind the stark difference in Af-ghan culture-- customs and regimens rely mainly on religious and familial support. The common-ality is to gather all instabilities and hardships in family arms, to the point of spillage. Though this may have worked in Afghanistan, where families no less than ten in number shared farmland with extended families and tribesman, it can be detrimentally unsafe in the United States. Madina Sharifi is currently an MSW student at SFSU School of Social Work.

Social Work with Afghan Communities: Peacemaking Through Cultural Competence

By Madina Shariffi

S

As social workers in training, striving for

cultural competency is never ending. Modalities of

achieving cultural competency among

the Afghan population include an

understanding of history, background,

traditions, religion and systems of lifestyle,

no different than other cultures.


n May 2007, the Women’s Commis-sion for Refugee Women and Chil-dren presented Noraida Abdullah-

Karim a “’Voices of Courage” award. The honor is conferred to individuals or organi-zations that have shown leadership and commitment to working for the interests of displaced women, children, and youth.

Noraida is a licensed social worker who has been involved in community organiz-ing and development work in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao, the Philip-pines. Born in Cotabato City, Noraida’s childhood has been marked by poverty and armed conflict between government troops and Muslim secessionist groups. She herself became an internally-displaced person (IDP) leaving her home on repeated occasions in order to survive. Noraida and her family left for Manila in hopes of finding safety and stability.

After the peace agreement in 1996, No-raida returned to Mindanao determined to help other displaced Muslims. She later on completed a social work degree at De La Vida College in Cotabato City in 1999.

In 2001, Noraida joined the Community and Family Services International (CFSI) as a community organizer helping IDPs in post-conflict reconstruction. She was also involved in the Literacy, Livelihood, and Food Sufficiency Project for youth that CFSI field-tested for the World Bank. No-raida also led the “Arms are for Hugging Project” that aided over 600 formerly out-of-school children and youth to have ac-cess to primary education. Noraida is presently Officer-in-Charge of CFSI op-erations in Mindanao and is Coordinator of the Food Assistance Project carried out in conflict-affected communities in part-nership with the World Food Programme (WFP)

What inspired you to take up a social work degree and to pursue a career in social work? What factors influenced your decision to go into peace work?

I was both an internally-displaced person (IDP) and a Martial Law baby (A term uses to refer to those born between 1972 to 1986 during Martial Law under the Marcos administra-tion). Both experiences were defi-nitely significant events that influ-enced my choice to go into peace work. The armed conflict in Min-danao forced me and my family to flee to Manila. We tried to overcome the hardships that came with dis-placement from one’s home and live-lihood. I continued my schooling in Manila despite the challenges and worked part-time as a secretary while in school just to help my family make ends meet.

I was later on exposed to the work of a non-governmental organization (NGO) in an urban poor community in Manila. The experiences of the urban poor reminded me of the ex-periences of displaced people in my hometown. It was at this point that I realized that I too wanted to do something for communities affected by poverty and war. NGO work at-tracted me towards working for social justice. I realized that it was impor-tant for me to do something to ad-dress the plight of other IDPs in Min-danao.

Rather than pursue vocational em-ployment, I decided to do part-time NGO work while I finished my schooling. There were even in-stances when I took on volunteer work with NGOs. After graduation, it was very clear to me that that there was an enormous need to help con-stituents in Mindanao who were af-fected by strife. I was inspired to choose a career path that would en-able me to directly be involved in helping those displaced by war and to work towards solving the decades-long conflict.

Continued on p. 18

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Noraida Abdullah-Karim: Profile of a Social Worker-Peacemaker By Joyce Hermoso

During times of conflict and displacement, social workers

become the prime movers. They act as front-liners and

caregivers, performing all sorts of tasks from assisting during

displacement to evaluating and monitoring rehabilitation and

reconstruction efforts.

United States, “More bombs were showered on Cambodia than the total tonnage dropped on either Europe or Japan during World War II, killing more than a hundred thousand civil-ians.” (Chan, 2004, p. 9)

The displacement and deaths caused by the United States was a small number compared to those caused by the Khmer Rouge. On April 17, 1975, the day many Cambodians remember in horror, was the day that the Khmer Rouge invaded the capital, Phnom Penh, forcing many Cambodians from their homes. This was also the beginning of many more trage-dies and events that would profoundly impact Cambodian refugees for decades and generations to come.

Many survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime remain traumatized from witness-ing their loved ones being executed, themselves being tortured or raped, ex-periencing separation from their family members, going through starvation, and constantly finding new means of survival. The social environment created by the Khmer Rouge regime was consistently destructive to the Cambodian people and their country. They based their actions on the concept of “year zero” taken from the French Revolution, “to indicate their desire to wipe their society’s slate clean and start from scratch as they attempted to transform every aspect of Cambodian society.” (Chan, 2004, p. 13).

Khmer Rouge’s emphasis on agricul-ture forced the entire country to labor in the rice fields from dawn to dusk, thus these rice fields were later referred to as the “Killing Fields.” The Cambodian peo-ple were not fed properly and were re-quired to work very long hours, which contributed to high mortality rates. Many also became severely ill, but were not permitted to seek medicine or treatment. Those that did or attempted to do so for ill family members, were considered

“counter-revolutionary” and immedi-ately executed.

Another part of the Khmer Rouge’s agenda was to eliminate capitalism. They did so by executing professionals such as government officials, teachers, doc-tors, and anyone that had a Western background or connection. They abol-ished money, banks, and private prop-erty. The Cambodian culture itself was also destroyed, such as artwork and his-torical monuments. The Khmer Rouge did not want to leave any trace of history. Even religion was banned, which caused distress among many of the Cambodians that were Theravada Buddhists. Addi-tionally, the Khmer Rouge made particu-lar efforts to demean the Cham, Cambo-dian Muslims, by forcing them to eat pork and raise pigs in their mosques. (Chan, 2004, p. 24).

Children were also used as a tool to achieve their political agenda. The Khmer Rouge separated children older than seven years from their families and placed them under the supervision of the Khmer Rouge to perpetuate the commu-nist agenda. Also, children were used as spies to report on the status and actions of their families. (Chan, 2004, p. 19) Such behaviors led to extreme levels of distrust between family members and their children that carried on to present day.

It is estimated that three million deaths occurred, out of a total population of seven million, during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979. (National Insti-tutes of Health [NIH], 2005).Among the survivors, many continue to suffer from the effects of the Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime. Cambodians, more than any other population, suffer from Post Trau-matic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and de

Cambodian Refugees...Continued from p. 4

Continued on p. 12.

Social workers have been instrumental in assisting Cambodian

survivors seek psychiatric services,

community resources, and case management

services.


oppression and exclusion, for democratic par-ticipation, peace and human rights”. Social movement organizing is a long process which demands tremendous energy, patience and creativity on the part of the leaderships and constituents. When applying non-violence as a change strategy, the aim is not to answer bullets with bullets, rather with wisdom and tact. The emphasis and strategies of social empowerment may vary from one organizing situation to another, but the core idea is to develop critical consciousness and regain a sense of one’s own power, thus strengthening the social fabric, and promoting a sustainable movement.

Paulo Freire describes a process of “conscientization”, a process by which the earner advances towards critical conscious-ness. Oppressed people become empowered. They critically analyze the oppressive system and fight for liberation. Chico Mendes, Brazil-ian environment activist and the leader of rub-ber tappers’ unions, had understood that peo-ples’ lack of understanding of their situation was causing them to tolerate oppression and domination of rubber estate owners. So he initiated the popular education program based on the concerns and lives of the workers. The program was successful in strengthening the movement. (Mendes, 1990). Gandhi empha-sized self reliance, people acting on their own behalf, thereby exercising decision-making power on their own lives.

Conclusion Social Workers are peacemakers. Peace-

making demands constructively fighting injus-tice, oppression and domination. As Wineman (2003) states, “when we are acting violently, we are destroying and diminishing our own capacities to value human lives”. We need to understand how non-violence can be a strat-egy and resource for pursuing social justice in a world of terror, violence and war.

Raj Khadka is an MSW candidate at SFSU School of Social Work. He is currently writing his thesis on institutional reform in Nepal where he hails from.

vanized immense pressure on govern-ments to withdraw troops from Vietnam, President Johnson, in a meeting with the King, demanded his support for Vietnam.

One common feature among great lead-ers is their- commitment. Commitment is a “psychic energy” (The Social Change Model, 2005) that motivates the individual to serve and drive the masses to action. Commitment implies passion, intensity, and duration. Gandhi’s commitment did not shake when over sixty thousand people were arrested for participating in the Salt March. At the same time, radicals were criticizing him for being too idealistic. Gan-dhi spent all his life fighting for the freedom of people with the same level of passion and motivation.

As no leadership style works well in all circumstances, leadership should be tuned according to the situation and context. The Social Change Model also known as 7 C’s recommends seven core values important for successful leadership. These are grouped into three sets of values: 1) indi-vidual values- collaboration, consciousness of self, commitment congruence; 2) group values-common purpose, controversy with civility; and 3) community values- citizen-ship. Social change leaders more or less embody these values.

Leaders also need to adapt to the style and strategy that is suitable for a particular context. Transformative Leadership style is preferred in many social organizing as it empowers constituents, and does not nec-essarily make them dependent on organiz-ers. But empowering the constituents con-sists of mentoring, skill building, recogniz-ing strengths, and building confidence to overthrow the oppressive system.

Social Empowerment Peace scholars Kraft and Speck (2003)

define nonviolent social empowerment as, “people regaining their own power to crea-tively shape their lives and to influence the course of events around them - against

Promoting Social Empowerment...Continued from p. 3.

Peacemaking demands

constructively fighting injustice, oppression and

domination.



pression. Additionally, “Cambodians’ symptoms have persisted longer than those of other Indochinese refugees.” (Chan, 2004, p. 229) It was also found that PTSD and depression rates were higher among Cambodians “who were older, poorer, weaker English speakers, and unemployed” (NIH, 2005). Addi-tionally, studies have shown that PTSD has intergenerational effects.

The youth studied were those that also survived the Khmer Rouge regime, and resettled in the United States at a very young age. Girls, in particular, exhibited more symptoms than boys and were more likely to have both a current and life-time diagnosis. (Chan, 2004, p. 234) As a result of adjusting to life in the United States, an entirely new social environment with a different social structure, inter-generational conflicts among children and their parents have also burdened Cambodians. As described by Sucheng Chan, the United States is different from Cambodia in the sense that challenging age hierarchy is not uncommon. As Cambodian refugees arrived, many of the youth were able to acculturate at a faster rate than their parents, allowing them to quickly learn English. This be-came problematic in some households, as children were expected to interpret documents for their parents, translate letters from their schools, help pay bills, or answer the phone. These responsibilities caused a transference in power from the adult to the child, as children were depended more on than adults in the fam-ily since they were English speakers.

Another conflict that Sucheng Chan addresses is that of gender. Cambodian girls are especially affected, as both intergenerational and gender conflicts also apply to them. American social structure treats boys and girls more equally than

in Cambodia, thus causing many conflicts when girls want to engage in the same activities as boys in America. In Cam-bodian culture, girls are expected to stay home, cook, clean, and take care of siblings; whereas, these same expecta-tions do not exist for Cambodian boys and they have more freedoms, in both cultures.

This has caused many Cambodian girls to rebel, or be dishonest with their parents, resulting in further conflict. For in-stance, Sucheng Chan describes how girls will not tell their parents about boyfriends, otherwise they will be forced to marry at a young age. In addition, girls will often lie about attending school meetings or school related events in order to participate in social activities with their peers. The social restrictions placed on Cambodian girls do not apply to Cambo-dian boys. Therefore, causing Cambodian girls to be overwhelmed by both intergenerational and gender conflicts.

Poverty is yet another struggle that Cambodian refugees face. About 63.8 percent of Cambodians are reported to live below the poverty line in 1980, as half the population were unemployed and four fifths were earning low incomes. (Chan, 2004, p. 133) According to the Census 2000, the poverty rate among Asians in California was 13 percent, where Asians made up 11 percent of the state’s total population. It was also noted that there was a high rate of poverty among South-east Asian refugees (Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, and Vietnamese), which was more than twice that of other Asian groups. Many Cambodians have also been dependent on public assistance, and a large number have relocated to cities where benefits are more available.

Due to the intergenerational conflicts and poverty Cambodians are faced with in the United States, many youth have discovered alternative outlets. However, these outlets are not necessarily positive. Many male youth in particular, have resorted to joining gangs and participating in “at-risk” activities in order to survive and adapt to their social environment.

According to studies, the reasons that Cambodian youth join gangs are to gain protection from peers on the streets and in school, to feel acceptance due to the social isolation they may experience at school and at home, and they become addicted to living the “fast life.” (Chan, 2004, p. 218) In many instances, Cambodian youth consider the gangs surrogate families that are able to provide social, psychological, and materialistic needs. This stems from the lack of attention that youth receive from their parents, teachers, or other adult figures.

Apsara dancer – Khmer classical dance, which is also a symbol carved on many

structures in Cambodia.

Cambodian Refugees...Continued from p. 10


In addition, many Cambodian youth turn to gangs as a means of survival due to threats or bullying they may experi-ence by others. In these circumstances, the gangs serve as a means of protection. The gangs are also a form of support for youth who live in poverty, allowing them to have access to money, food, and clothing (although often through illegal or illegitimate means) that they would not be able to receive from their biological families.

The participation of Cambodian youth in gangs has been especially difficult for parents and family members. After sur-viving war in Cambodia, many parents are faced with the challenges of the gang warfare their children are involved with in their communities. In Long Beach, CA, there are specifically street wars between Latino and Cambodian gang mem-bers. Many lives have been lost as a result, and as Cambodian parents have stated, they “would prefer to have their chil-dren in jail than out on the streets where they don't know how to protect them.” (Flaccus, 2004)

Also as an outcome of Cambodian youth joining gangs, is their participation in illegal activities that contribute to an ac-cumulation of criminal records. This has led to another issue in the Cambodian community, that of deportation. After the September 11th events, the current political administration made an agreement with Cambodia to repatriate refugees that have a criminal background and are not United States citizens. These deportations have caused additional grief for Cambodians, especially for those who have already lost family members during the Khmer Rouge regime. Also, there is the fear that Cambodian gang members from the United States being deported to Cambodia will introduce gang warfare there as well.

These continued losses and struggles experienced by the Cambodians have identified them as a community with many needs. For this reason, the role of the social worker is of great significance. There have been many programs estab-lished to assist the Cambodian community with their constant challenge of acculturation, mental health issues, and other barriers. Social workers have been instrumental in assisting Cambodian survivors seek psychiatric services, community resources, and case management services. These services are vital for the Cambodian community, as many of them have been disempowered and may be unaware of or unmotivated to seek the services available to them. Also, due to the monolingual nature of many Cambodian refugees, a social worker may serve as bridge between two languages.

Cambodian refugees have been impacted and traumatized by their past, and continue to be affected by it, like no other group in history. The Cambodian community is especially unique for their ability to survive because of their resiliency and determination. Yet, continued support is needed to empower them and keep their dignity strong. This may be done through additional research, so that others may understand how to effectively assist and work with Cambodian communi-ties; as well as through the continuation of special programs that are culturally and linguistically sensitive to Cambodians in respect to their culture, history, personal experiences, and past and present social environment.

Denise Tan recently earned her MSW from SFSU School of Social Work. She currently works as a mental health therapist with the Cambodian Family Focus Program at Gardner Family Care Corporation in San Jose. She also interned last year at the Banteay Srei pro-gram in Oakland working for young Southeast Asians at-risk of sexual exploitation. Denise is interested in working with refugee communities and in developing programs for Southeast Asian communities.

lescents, who illuminated their determination in a safe place. It was in a place like this school that Freire’s philosophy of education was reflected. The people in this commu-nity came together and built their school, primarily staffed by volunteers who also lived in the community. Through their own praxis for justice they were hopeful that they had the power to influence change.

The Brazilian culture clearly distinguishes between the have and have-nots but they would like to adhere to the notion that racism does exist. However, distinctions are no-ticeably made along color lines. The fair skin have more privilege, the darker skin are most excluded. This creates further tension when shades of skin color extend to family lines where siblings may feel pressed to distinguish their identities because of the differ-ence in the color of their skin, but it provided a way in. The polarization was highly visi-ble in the education system. I blame my keen observation on my experience of growing up in the segregated South. It was blatantly more than class difference.

Nevertheless, this school had a strong bond in the community and the workers are committed to fighting inequality, social and economic injustices by claiming “education as liberation.” Their time in history is reminiscent of the Civil Rights Era in the United States. The people of African ancestry are fighting for basic liberties, one being the right and access to education. In the case of Brazilian children, compulsory education should be the rule of the land but currently it is not a government mandate. Therefore, children attending school is not an enforced priority.

Amazingly, the people who are dedicating themselves to this one school were not ask-ing that people in the rest of the world fight their battle for them. Their Freirian philoso-phy does not embrace relying on others to fix their problem. They are engaging in their own dialogical process and are not looking for outside leaders. What they did want and requested are the voices of those who are familiar with oppression to join in advocating justice, especially in education. They will take responsibility for their transformation and be creators of their own liberation. They are asking that we do not perpetuate a “culture of silence” as we continue to progress in the U.S. As long as we keep a consciousness about injustices in our society, they are strengthened to continue their struggle. If we relegate to becoming as our oppressors, then their fight becomes more difficult.

Their voices came through loud and clear. I felt the spirit of Paulo Freire in the African people of Brazil.


Feeling the Spirit of Paulo Freiré...Continued from p. 6.

● How do I react when I think that thought?

● Who would I be without the thought?

Turn the thought around and find at least three genuine ways that your turnaround is as true or truer than your original statement. Any thought can be brought to these four questions.

Throughout time there have always been op-tions available to us for responding to any situa-tion, even to the ones that seem oppressive and impossible. We don’t always see these options, but that doesn’t mean that they are not there. For example, Gandhi and his followers discov-ered the option of non-violent resistance and it was the first time the world had witnessed non-violent resistance on a mass scale. However, the option of non-violent resistance existed long before Gandhi discovered it and put it into action. The option of non-violent resistance has been there throughout time. We haven’t necessarily been aware of this option, but nonetheless it has been there. It has been waiting for us to notice it, to develop our creative capacity to think of new and innovative solutions. In the 1940s non-violence was a potential needing only a human mind and heart (such as Gandhi) to discover it and put it into action. How many more options, potentials, and responses to our personal and collective problems lie waiting for discovery?

Can we flip social injustice on its head? What bold, new angles can we find to explore the im-pact of prejudice, war, greed, and hatred? Wendell Berry, a well-known poet and author, comes from a family that used to own slaves. He writes of the pain that white people have caused themselves though racism in his book The Hid-den Wound. He says that if white people have inflicted the wound of racism onto black people, they have simultaneously inflicted a mirror image of that wound upon themselves. Perhaps this would has been hidden or denied, but it is none-theless there and profoundly affects our entire society.

How is this accurate? How does prejudice ac-tually hurt the people who it seems to benefit – the people ‘on top’? Wendell Berry’s insights have led me to see that if people of any color believe and live out the thought that one race is

inferior or worth less than another, then the people who are believed to be ‘inferior’ race (or religion, or social class, or gender…) have less of an opportunity to develop their talents. Perhaps a Michaelangelo, an Albert Einstein, or a Martin Luther King never gets the chance to flourish and develop their genius, all because the impact of living out prejudiced thoughts stops us from develop-ing such talent. When we’ve believed preju-diced thoughts we’ve killed people, kept people illiterate, continued to create poverty – worldwide. Perhaps cures for cancer and advances in technology have not been al-lowed to develop because the people who hold the seeds for these cures and ad-vances have not been given the opportunity to develop their ideas. Perhaps we are all Michaelangelos, Einsteins, and Martin Lu-ther Kings, and we just haven’t realized it yet because we have a few thoughts to question. The thoughts of prejudice that stand in the way of our individual and collec-tive actualization of this potential then hurt everyone, even if one group seems to bene-fit.

Questioning beliefs allows anyone to ex-plore life and activism with newfound en-ergy, ingenuity, and creativity. There have got to be THOUSANDS of possibilities and solutions out there that we have not even begun to tap into. What kind of world can we create as we begin thinking of solutions? What new, inventive, peacemaking ways of response from playgrounds to war zones await us?

Rachel Pickett is an MSW Candidate from SFSU School of Social Work. She organ-ized the Summer Inquiry Project (www.summerinquiryproject.com) in August 2006 using The Work (www.thework.com). Rachel is currently pursuing another mas-ter’s degree in Education as a fellow of the Boettcher Teacher’s Program in Denver.

How Questioning Our Thoughts...Continued from p. 7.


Questioning beliefs allows

anyone to explore life and activism with

newfound energy,

ingenuity, and creativity.


Editorial: Bringing in a Gender Perspective to Peacemaking

n the years preceding my current life as a social work academic, I did some work in the area of women’s participa-tion in peacemaking back in my home country, the Philippines. I conducted research on issues of gender and peace and assisted in editing the proceedings of an international conference of women peacemakers.

The experience was indeed rewarding. Not only did I have the benefit of hearing the inspiring stories of women peace-makers from all over the world, I also became more sensitized to the plight of women who face the ravages of conflict and strife on a daily basis. In this era when the rhetoric of war has become so pervasive and violence, in all its forms, increases unabated, the opportunity to work for the interests of women peacemakers offered me hope and a stronger belief and commitment to expanding women’s role in promoting peace.

My work on women and peacemaking has schooled me in some compelling facts about women’s experiences of war and peace. One is that women experience conflict differently from men. In most cases, they become victims, being dis-placed or forced out of their homes due to ensuing exchange of fire between warring factions. Pre-existing gender dis-crimination and the threats of sexual violence against women are intensified during times of strife. Women’s health and security to life are put in harm’s way by unsanitary conditions in refugee camps or by contamination from the use of bio-logical or chemical weapons or from toxic military waste materials. Women also sink deeper into poverty when their liveli-hood is disrupted by on-going atrocities. The psychological and emotional trauma that women experience during war is known to last well beyond conflict situations. In other instances, women also become perpetrators of violence, working hand-in-hand with men as combatants or being employed in assembly lines of weapons production.

Another lesson gleaned is the realization that gender pervades the whole discourse about war and peace. Conflict and peace are very much gendered activities. On the one hand, domination and aggression are masculine attributes that are likely to engender conditions for violence. On the other hand, feminine principles such as cooperation and compromise are known to be associated with peace.

Gender theorists maintain that both masculine and feminine principles are found in men and women. They posit further that a healthy balance between both principles is necessary for the proper functioning of individuals and society. Simi-larly, both masculine and feminine principles are essential for the attainment of genuine and lasting peace. The strife and conflict happening in the world today can be attributed to an imbalance of these principles. The outbreak and perpetua-tion of violence are due to the ascendancy of masculine attributes like domination and competition. Arguably, gender theorists hold that the pre-eminence of feminine principles may also leave the world in a mess, albeit of a different kind (I’m curious to know what type of mess the world would be in if feminine attributes reigned supreme). True and lasting peace can only be cultivated where there is a juxtaposition of both masculine and feminine principles. Peacemaking then is a directed effort toward striking balances between the masculine and feminine in relationships both between individu-als and between groups and government. Peacemaking also assumes the equal participation of both men and women in sowing the conditions for true and lasting peace.

Bringing in a gender dimension to peacemaking thus entails working to achieve what Norwegian peace scholar Johan Galtung refers to as positive peace – a condition devoid of war and structural violence – apart from negative peace, which is the mere cessation of hostilities. Social work, in essence, is a form of peacemaking as it seeks to address social injustice, oppression, social exclusion, and dispossession. By seeking solutions to these social ills, social work contrib-utes to fostering and sustaining genuine peace.

The ethical principles embodied in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics lend credence to the need to increase women’s participation in peace processes. Supporting women’s peacemaking efforts and helping to ensure their full and meaningful involvement in formal peace talks are congruent with social justice and respect for the dignity and worth of persons .

The challenge for social workers immersed in peace work is to recognize the unique contribution that women bring to the peace process. Social workers can support initiatives to increase women’s participation in formal post-conflict nego-tiations, encourage women to undertake other creative and innovative efforts to organize peace constituencies, and carry out campaigns to foster a culture of peace.

Finally, social workers are challenged to reflect on their peacemaking experiences on the personal realm. In promoting a culture of peace and a more gender sensitive society, social workers must also look into how they internalize a balanc-ing of these principles in their work and in their own personal lives. In so doing, social workers can more effectively bring gender to bear in the task of pursuing true and lasting peace. JRH

I


“For millennia women have dedicated themselves almost exclusively to the task of nurturing, protecting, and caring for the young and the old, striving for the conditions of peace that favor life as a whole...to the best of my knowledge, no war was ever started by women. But it is women and children who have always suffered most in situations of conflict. Now that we are gaining control of the primary historical role imposed on us of sustaining life in the context of home and family, it is time to apply in the arena of the world the wisdom and experiences thus gained in activities of peace over so many thousands of years.” -Aung San Suu Kyi, recipient of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, a speech give at the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference.

The situation in Mindanao calls for framing all forms of social development work in terms of peacemaking. Humanitar-ian work, psycho-social services, relief work, rehabilitation, and reconstruction – these are all part and parcel of peace-making. Since the 1970s, war has persisted in Mindanao. Even to this day, there has yet to be an example of a best practice peacemaking initiative that has been successful at establishing true and lasting peace. Current efforts have re-mained at a trial and error stage. Peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), one of the secessionist groups, are constantly bog down. That is why we have intensified our efforts at peacemaking. How do you think social work contributes to peacemaking?

During times of conflict and displacement, social workers become the prime movers. They act as front-liners and care-givers, performing all sorts of tasks from assisting during displacement to evaluating and monitoring rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. Every intervention carried out by social workers, such as community participation, coordination, coalition-building are all efforts towards peacemaking. Both government and NGOs have only recently begun to appreci-ate the contributions of social workers in conflict affected areas. They try to undertake these activities on their own but acknowledge that social workers are better placed to carry out peacemaking tasks. What particular strengths did you think social workers have in working in conflict-affected areas? What do see as lacking among social workers working in conflict-affected areas?

Social workers in conflict-affected areas are very skilled and have very extensive practice experience. What is some-what lacking among social workers is theoretical grounding and knowledge of concepts that apply to peacemaking work. This is understandable given that many social workers in conflict-affected areas were themselves IDPs, thus their educa-tion was also disrupted by the outbreak of armed strife. Higher education continues to be inaccessible to local social workers. Graduate programs in social work offered at local universities had to close down whenever fighting ensued be-tween government and the MILF. Social work students had to travel far and wide to other cities to pursue graduate stud-ies in social work. We realize that peace and development work is quite challenging. We have yet to learn more about effective strategies and the theories that underpin them. That is why we feel that graduate programs in social work are so important. We are thus very grateful for current efforts of The Catholic University of America to bring a Master in Teaching Social Work program to our community. It is one way by which a graduate program in social work can be modi-fied to suit our local context. What particular challenges do you see social workers have in working in conflict-affected areas?

The major challenge, of course, is the risk that social workers face when working in conflict-affected areas. At CFSI, before we conduct our fieldwork, we have to ensure the benefits that staff members are entitled to in case something happens. Oftentimes, social workers are caught in the crossfire without any forewarning. Conflicts are not scheduled and can break out anytime. Some conflicts are perpetrated not by fighting between government troops and the MILF but by existing family feuds. So it’s a very complex situation and that adds to the risks that social workers face. What particular learning competencies do you think social workers should have in working on conflict-affected areas?

Competencies that are needed for practice in conflict-affected areas include negotiation skills and an ability to be neu-tral and not take on sides particularly between warring factions. Of course, social workers’ bias will always be with the community or the civilians caught in the crossfire, particularly the most dispossessed among them. But in terms of relat-ing with other parties to the conflict, particularly the warring factions, social workers must maintain a neutral stance or not show any preference for any armed group. That is particularly important in terms of building social workers’ credibility among the government forces or the MILF. What would you advise social work students who want to go into work in conflict-affected areas?

Social work students who want to go into peacemaking must learn to internalize the issues faced by conflict-affected communities. There are many things that social workers can do to enhance their knowledge of such issues and be able to help out even before actually traveling to the areas. Social work students can continue educating themselves about the issues and the nature of the conflict. For social students in industrialized countries who are contemplating going into peacemaking work overseas, it would help to be involve in lobbying and advocacy work with their own legislature to try to influence foreign policies that have implications on the conflict that happen in other parts of the world.


Noraida Abduhllah-Karim...Continued from p. 9

About the Multicultural Voices

The Multicultural Voices is the bi-annual newsletter of the Institute of Multicultural Research and Social Work Practice at San Francisco State University School of Social Work. It features news articles, es-says, and other creative work of students, faculty, and community partners on diversity, multicultural-ism, empowerment, and change. Editor, Joyce R. Hermoso Institute Chair, Liz Dunbar-Knox Members, Rashmi Gupta, Sheila Hembury, Yeon-Shim Lee, Rachel Pickett, Susan Sung, Rita Takaha-shi


What challenges do you face as a “Voices of Courage” awardee? I view the “Voices of Courage” award as recognition of our work in Mindanao. It continues to motivate me to do my

work well. It also inspires and motivates other social workers knowing that the kind of work that we do earns recognition from outside. Of course, as social workers in conflict-affected areas, we ought to perform our work well with or without recognition. The challenge for me is to continue working for the plight of displaced people as a way of giving meaning to that award.

Non Profit Organization

U.S. Postage PAID

San Francisco, CA Permit 7741

Institute of Multicultural Research & Social Work Practice

San Francisco State University School of Social Work

1600 Holloway Avenue, HSS 227 San Francisco, CA 94132

Institute Background The Institute was established within San Francisco State Univer-sity's School of Social Work in June 1988, as the Center for Cross Cultural Research and So-cial Work Practice. Kenji Murase, now Professor Emeritus, became the Center's first Director.

Institute Goals

● Conduct research that promotes

greater knowledge and understand-ing of diverse cultures.

● Develop methods to enhance effec-tiveness and appropriateness in working with diverse populations. Use collaborative and participatory methods.

● Disseminate research findings and educational information to students,

MISSION

The SFSU School of Social Work’s Institute for Multi-cultural Research and Social Work Practice promotes respect for and know-ledge of di-verse cultures. It seeks to develop effective methods for appropriately working in a complex and multi-culturally diverse environment. It disseminates cross-cultural infor-mation through research, publica-tion, education, and training. The central focus is on empowerment of individuals, families, and com-munities. The commitment is to progressive societal changes. Col-laborative and cooperative efforts in multiple settings -- from work place to ethnic communities -- are emphasized.

organizations, and the general public via publications, presentations, work-shops, and consultations.

● Work with social work students inter-

ested in multicultural service delivery systems, and provide ongoing re-sources and support services to en-hance their educational experiences.

● Conduct evaluations and needs as-

sessments of organizations and communities.

● Analyze policies and make recom-

mendations congruent to the Insti-tute’s mission.

● Sponsor conferences and work-

shops that focus on cross-cultural research and social work practice.

Phone: 415-338-1003 Fax: 415-338-0591

E-mail: [email protected]

Diversity...Empowerment...Change

IMRSWP Mission, Background, and Goals

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