SNWJ: My White Male Voice, Where Does It Belong in 2019?
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My White Male Voice, Where Does It Belong in 2019?
John Paul Derryberry
I was in Waterloo, Iowa at Hawkeye Community College. I was on a panel to facilitate discussion for the intro to social work students. There were two African American males; an older white man; the professor, who was an African American female; and me, the 30-something white guy. This panel was diverse, multi-cultural and a cross-section of everything not occurring in social work right now. Social workers are predominantly white and female. Eighty percent of social workers are female, and 67% of them are white. (all stats from https://datausa.io/profile/soc/211020/#demographics)
The question posed was what does social work need in order to move into a better next chapter. I was the last to answer, after the other guests gave eloquent answers around resources and support from government agencies. These are all solutions I agree with and would support with open arms. But and it's a LARGE BUTTTTTT, if we have learned anything from 2018 it's that predominately white industries do little to assist minorities, even if they mean well. I would say there is a white saviour complex at the root of all social work which limits its ability for effectiveness. I knew my answer, but the question in my head wasn't whether it was a good answer. It was, should a white male be saying the answer. In a perfect world everyone's voice would be given equal weight, but we have not achieved this ideal world. Unfairly, my voice carries extra weight.
I took a deep breath and said, what we need is an influx of diverse social workers from differing ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. I travel around to a lot of places and most panels are made up of white people who only have research knowledge of the problems our clients face. This creates a well-intentioned but uninformed workforce. They then draft well-intentioned but ill-fitting policies. These policies never address the root problems we face, and then they complain about a lack of resources. My fellow panel members nodded in agreement, and even the professor re-stated out loud, the white saviour complex. It made me smile; she knew, I thought. Upon further introspection, "Of course, she knew, she's a black woman in America. She gets it." She probably had stated out loud, the white saviour complex, because she was surprised that it was alluded to by a white man. My bias was showing even when I was on the right path.
My worries began with, should I be the one saying it? Does a white man who has benefitted from the current power structure have the ability to speak eloquently on this topic? Should someone whose voice is always given space be the leader on this subject? Can those in control and power be the ones who lead us to the change we need? What place and at what capacity does my voice matter in pushing culture into a better place? These are the proverbial tip-of-the-iceberg questions. I hope it's a good sign that I'm at least asking myself these questions. But a bunch of people reading this are probably saying, it's way too late in John's life for self-reflection of this nature.
Those people would be right. I have never questioned my voice, or my ability to find it's power. My time spent assisting others in strengthening their voice does not excuse any shouting down others from my elevated position in society. I gained that position through the genetic lottery of being both born white and male — neither of which I had a hand in deciding, and because I had no choice in that matter. It's unfortunate that a decision we get no say in determines so much. Our gender and race create the ease with which we navigate the world, yet it wasn’t a choice we were allowed to have input on. I find myself rightfully asking myself how to best use my voice in 2019 to bring about the equal society I seek. The problem I continually see is that white men fail to even grasp the situation with any actual reality. They think if they grant one point to a female colleague they are an ally to the cause. That thought is entirely false; it's deeply nuanced.
I'm new to the question, so I'll take advice, I'll listen, and please, cut me off if I'm ever mansplaining anything. This is we are in 2019, questioning our power structures, reconfiguring how people should advance and how to create inclusion. Our problem is that many love to cling to the old rules because they love power. So I do not know if I should have been the one who brought up the lack of diversity in social work. The fact that I do not know and am questioning is a good sign, but we have so far to go. Too many voices are caught in an echo chamber and I have to do better to make sure I'm not drowning anyone out just because I was born white and male. I have a place in the new world, and I'm happy figuring it out. It's about time the rules of whose voice rings the loudest has updated qualifications.