RUNNING HEAD: Cultural Self Assessment Part One

Cultural Self Assessment Part One

Tamesha Green
Social Work 3020 Practice methods II
Wayne State University

Cultural Self Assessment

I was raised believing I was all African American or commonly called Black; there was no
other reason to think otherwise. After further investigation on my lineage, I found that my
ethnicity is of Irish, Scottish, and British decent. Being raised in America a black female, from a
single parent, low-income house hold it seemed as though the odds were already against me. I
was told that I had two strikes against me when I was born, one being I was a female and the
other being I am dark complected. I was constantly reminded that I had to work twice as hard as
anyone one else just to be successful. Being told that my mother was on welfare and more than
likely I will be too was very hurtful and condemning. I did not know what welfare meant, but if
it meant not being able to have needs and wants met I did not want any parts of it. As a child I
wanted to have the kind of life my cousins had, or the people on television imitated. An early
realization of what I did not want for my life developed and I worked twice as hard as everyone
else to be successful in all of my endeavors.
My personal cultural profile is more accepted in American than in previous years. Freedom to
express yourself is more accepted now than any other period in history, this helps to ease my
likeness into the mainstream. My personal esthetics is not something that I am ashamed of
anymore, rather a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. My cultural recognizes and
participates in the typical American activities with the exception of their being an urban
setting. There are those in the community who do not strive for anything more than they are
given. And there are some who have to work twice as hard to get what they have. My intent is to
uplift and inspire others to stay determined to achieve their greatness. With there being so many
individuals struggling within the community, I like to only grace people with positivity, in hopes
that like attracts like.

Cultural Self Assessment

My personal cultural profile affects how I communicate and whom I communicate with. I find
it difficult to fit in, formally and informally. Going to college has educated me on the importance
of speaking with proper diction. It has gained me the title of MS. White Black girl within my
friends, family and associates. Within the formal setting, my intelligence and diction comes as
surprise and a shock to those who assume I am just another ghetto black girl. Regardless to
family, friends or business associates my uniqueness is difficult to place in one particular circle.
It is difficult to find a likeness with people in my community, a lot of which did not attend
college and are not working; their goals and ambitions are a lot different than mine. The same
goes for formal acquaintances that hold a bias towards me because of my race or once I tell them
what area I am from.
I usually find myself conversing with individuals that are older and more mature than I race is
never a factor. We talk about issues of the world, local news and personal issues. There is an
understanding that I have with my friends and that is, you can argue opinions but you cannot
argue facts. As long as we can agree to disagree, we can have an intelligent conversation.
Opinions are self concepts that are exclusive to an individual; I value the opinions of others, but
will not argue over them. I feel as though healthy communication is the key to understanding
people. Silence is viewed as either respect to the speaker or a disregard for the conversation, but
in all matters formal or informal silence is golden

Cultural Self Assessment

4
Reference

Schropshire, N. (2014) SW 3020 Practice Methods II Syllabus unpublished manuscripts Wayne

State University