Only by studying and engaging in critical analysis about inequality can students spur change and rise up against oppressive governments

Philosophical approaches and theories of justice. Students need to engage in critical analysis before they are able to formulate their vision of a just society and engage in social change. This vision will provide professional goals to strive toward and the passion to direct their energies. Theories of justice, such as Rawls (1971), would permit students to consider how they would distribute resources. Rawls’ theory asks what we would consider a fair and just distribution of resources if we were poor. Utilitarianism, in turn, proposes that we should assess consequences of actions based on the greatest good for the greatest number of people. As an alternative philosophical position, deontology (Friedrich, 1949), espouses that there are certain universal rules we need to follow since everyone needs to be respected, no matter what the consequences are for the majority of people. This and other philosophical approaches and theories can help students use critical thinking skills to develop their vision about what is fair and just in structuring society and distributing resources. An experiential exercise to help students think about fairness and justice in the distribution of resources involves assigning students to groups and providing some groups with abundant resources, others with average resources, and others with hardly any resources. They are asked to complete a project and those who complete it first are labeled “winners.” A little more time is allowed until more people can complete the project, and those who finish last are labeled “losers.” Then students can dialogue about how resources are distributed in society at large and what is just and unjust, e.g., affirmative action policies. Critical analysis of power. Students learn how the concentration of wealth allows the few to have inordinate power to set policies and structure the economic and political systems. The intersection of wealth and power in the political system creates a power elite that excludes the vast majority of the population. Students examine the policies, practices and political processes that stratify society, disadvantaging middle and low-income people and bestowing major advantages on the 1% (e.g., union busting, inequitable income tax structure, the personhood status of corporations, gentrification and Citizens vs. United). As a result, the rest of the population often feels powerless and fatalistic about changing the system. This critical analysis helps students appreciate the roots of the oppression of low-income people. The rich can exclude low-income people from having any influence, even to the extent of disallowing their vote and invalidating democracy. In 2013, the Supreme Court eliminated the formula which mandated that states with a historical record of voter discrimination to be monitored by the federal government to be in compliance with equal voting rights (Caldwell, 2015). This law favors those who wish to lessen the voting power of the poor and persons of color, hence increasing the power of the wealthy. Experiential scenarios of the Theatre of the Oppressed (Boal & McBride, 1979) can help students visualize and symbolize misappropriation of power and give students an opening to step in, break up that power, and redistribute influence more equitably. Students see the oppression up close and see themselves as actors capable of creating change. Historical perspective. A historical perspective enables students to have a contextual view of the treatment of the poor, the successful and unsuccessful attempts to ameliorate or eliminate their hardships, and the barriers and strategies used by those with a vested interest in perpetuating poverty. The adoption in England of the 1601 Poor Laws led to greater community responsibility and pejorative labeling. Our treatment of the poor has varied from forcing low-income people into poorhouses (Day & Schiele, 2013), to the War on Poverty effort to give low-income people money directly from the government to decide for themselves how to solve problems related to poverty. Students study the history of social movements, legislative reforms, and social action efforts. Social movements may include unionization, particularly the Rank and File movement led by the social worker Bertha Capen Reynolds (Reisch & Andrews, 2002). The Occupy Wall Street movement sought to raise consciousness about the inequality in society (VanGelder & Staff of Yes! Magazine, 2011). The Kensington Welfare Rights Organization focused on raising awareness, engaging in subversive action (e.g., taking over abandoned housing), and developed a poor people’s university to educate leaders to end poverty (VanWormer, 2004). Legislative reforms during the Great Depression such as Social Security, reduced poverty dramatically (DeWitt, 2010). Past and current social movements, social actions and reforms can help students see that decreasing poverty is realistic and that we can learn from the past to set directions for future change. In addition, students could learn about the struggle of the social work profession over focusing on service provision or on becoming a political force in the country. Studying the Code of Ethics would reveal the social work profession’s aspirations to engage in social and political change domestically and globally. It demonstrates the unique paradigm of social work, the person-in-environment framework. Political practice. Political practice requires an understanding that the oppression of individuals, families and groups is rooted in the societal context and requires critical analysis and actions to change the status quo. This type of practice does not necessarily require engaging in political activities with the government, such as voting or working in elections. It requires engaging in policy-sensitive practice (understanding how policies or lack of policies impact people) or policy-related practice (advocating for clients under the existing policies) or policy practice (developing, proposing, or seeking changes in policy), or any combination of the three (Jansson, 2014). For students concentrating in clinical work, it may mean sensitizing clients to the injustices of policies and empowering them to engage with others to create change. Students analyze the interventions, policies and practices of their internship and work settings, for their potential to reinforce or challenge oppressive systems. In turn, they learn strategies to challenge systems that are insensitive to the needs of the people they serve. It is important to sensitize students to the need of balancing meeting clients’ needs with working for systemic change to better meet those needs. Personal is political. Students, by reflecting on their own lives, can recognize how they have been influenced by the socio-economic-political context and the privileges and/or sanctions/barriers incumbent upon their status. By analyzing the environmental context of their own lives, they are better able to directly understand the impact on their own lives and that of their clients. The dialectical relationship between people and society is explored to assess the influences that community/society has on us and the impacts that people can and have had on it. This dialectical process can be shared with clients to help them feel more powerful and see their problems as societal issues. The woman’s movement serves as a powerful example of consciousness-raising that assessed the given “reality” and replaced it with a reality more true to women’s own experiences. This renaming led to actions creating greater equality for women (Bricker-Jenkins, Gottlieb, & Hooyman, 1991). Reflection/Action. Students’ consciousness is raised by studying theories of poverty and justice, the historical context in the U.S. and in other countries, and the principle that the personal is political. This heightened consciousness enables students to examine the current meta-messages and so-called reality. The often harsh light shed on what is actually occurring creates a desire to be a catalyst for change. The goal is to link reflection and action (praxis). For example, consider the culture of poverty theory that stresses the immutability of poverty and places blame on low-income people for their plight. Students whose consciousness is raised recognize these myths and are more prepared to assist clients to debunk these assumptions and deal with their internalized oppression. Just as students become aware of the larger picture and take action, similarly a parallel process may occur for clients. Students may then assist clients to associate with or form action groups of like-minded people to channel their awareness and anger into action. People power to create change. Students learn that their clients (and they themselves) can bring about change through collective action. Conventional wisdom says that ordinary people must persuade those with formal decision-making power to make change. However, for progressive change to occur, it may need to come from the bottom up, with ordinary people challenging and resisting the ideas and actions of “leaders.” It is empowering to provide examples of people power in the United States and globally so that students do not despair, mistakenly believing that they and their clients are powerless to bring about change. Examples from history and current affairs can help to illustrate this to students (e.g., deposing Marcos in the Philippines, overturning apartheid in South Africa, passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, the civil rights movement, the passage of the Violence against Women Act). A list of local people without formal authority who are making a difference in their own community could be provided to students who would then choose one to interview. From these natural leaders, students could learn what they have done and the length of time it has taken to accomplish their goals. Strategizing to democratize power. Students identify groups in power, the strategies they use to stay in power, and what can be done to redistribute power among the population. The studying of social movements is an excellent way to inform students how to get their ideas on the public agenda, delegitimize existing pronouncements from power-holders, reframe the debate, and persuade the public that alternative ideas are more in line with the best values of the country than are those of the power holders (Moyers, 1990). For example, the “right to work” is a misnomer, obfuscating that it is really about busting unions rather than workers’ rights. Once students can see through deceptions such as this one, they can provide the facts to refute the arguments and compose alternative proposals. The strategy would be to take back the values of security and family well-being that the other side is falsely claiming to uphold and show that their own ideas truly protect workers’ rights. Debunking powerlessness. Students need to believe in their own efficacy in order to bring about social change. Lerner (1986) created the concept of “surplus powerlessness,” to explain people’s feelings and beliefs that they have much less power than they actually have. They act on the basis of that belief and create a self-fulfilling prophecy that no matter what they do, they cannot effect change. For this reason, they believe they should not try. Lerner (1986) states that we learn from a young age and throughout our lives that we need to obey authority and do what we are told to do. If we are idealistic, we risk being chided for naiveté and immaturity. The authority structure is maintained by teaching values of being a team player (i.e., not going outside the standards or group norms), not rocking the boat if you want to be successful, and minding your own business. Students could reflect upon how they have internalized these messages to follow authority and conform to cultural norms. They can do critical self-reflection to determine when such conformity is necessary for their own and the collective well–being and when it is not. They can also reflect the payoffs of powerlessness for themselves (e.g., unaccountability and lack of responsibility for one’s own choices and inaction in the face of injustice). Students could also respond to such questions as, “When have you ever challenged someone in authority who was committing an injustice against someone else?” “How have you ever stood up to people who are making a prejudicial joke?” Alternatively, they could perform role-plays about how they would respond to an unjust situation.