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Kris Clarke and Dr. Michael YellowBird approach the impact of climate change on social work and human existence from a, rightfully, critical perspective in Chapter 9 of Decolonizing Pathways towards Integrative Healing in Social Work: Mother Earth. “Settler colonial extractive capitalist activities during the Anthropocene have degraded the environment and our integrative relationships with one…

The Start Parasite is a compelling movie that shows the inequality in South Korea. It is dark and hard to watch. You get sucked into a poverty stricken family’s lives. None of the family has jobs. They can’t afford to sent their kids to college, which is a requirement for higher paying jobs. They can…

“You and Me, Us never part, Makidada. You and Me, Us have one heart, Makidada. Ain’t no ocean, ain’t no sea, Makidada. Keep my sistah away from me, Makidada” ”Makidada”, translates to “little sister” in the Swahili language. “The Color Purple” is a captivating and emotional film that surrounds the story of a young African…

Introduction to The Critical Social Worker The Critical Social Worker is a podcast which was created by host, Christian Stettler. The goal of this podcast is to combined various and diverse stories, perspectives and experiences in order to revitalize the act of storytelling and to expand the knowledge of the social work field using real-life…

Ask yourself to answer the following as two separate concepts… “What is diversity”? Now, ask yourself…”What is a family?”. I will start. To me, when I think of the word “diversity”, or, to be “diverse”, I automatically think of people. Whoever is reading this now (and by the way, thanks for choosing MY blog out…

From Left to right: Mother, daughter, Sister, me and my Father, Spouse took the Picture This Picture means a lot to me because it’s our first family trip! A big one at that! We (my daughter, my spouse, and myself) went to Hawaii to visit my mother and to see my little sister graduate! My…

This chapter focuses on the negative ripple effects of capitalism on a global scale. With a heavy emphasis on past/current social work policies and practices.  According to Merriam Webster, Capitalism can be defined as an “economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decisions, and…

I would like to start of with this paragraph, “For centuries, America and the New World have become ideas and synonyms that convey a sense of wonder and possibility made manifest by discovery, a historical act in which explorers are the protagonists. They are its actors and subjects. They think and name, conquer and settle,…

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) is a film that follows a pregnant woman, Tish, and her artist fiancé, Fonny, who was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit in the 1970s. The movie is based on Beale Street in New Orleans, Louisiana and New York City, New York. It trails the couple, who…

The Critical Social Worker podcast unfolds unique stories and diverse perspectives to foster critical dialogue, empathy, and understanding for all listeners. Through storytelling, we aim to change ourselves and the world, one story at a time. In this episode of The Critical Social Worker, Josie Heyano and Christian Ace Stettler discuss a variety of experiences…

Emerging Perspectives One of the biggest things, when it comes to social change, is what fuels that change. We have looked at political, what causes a movement to go, and the cutural reasoning behind things. When it comes to emerging perspective, they are looking at the underlining things that those three have in common. That…

A chapter about postcolonial trauma and memory work from Kris Clark and Dr. Michael YellowBird. This chapter begins with a thought-inspiring story from Kris Clark regarding the quiet reputation of Finland. The Finnish Tourist Board has based their marketing campaign around the promise of a “calm, clean, and simple way of life for visitors”. Using…

In the photograph taken during my trip to Hawaii for my eighth birthday, the warmth of the sun blankets my face as I stand on the golden sands of Waikiki Beach. Date was on the 9th of June, this photo showcases a moment frozen in time, capturing the carefree essence of my childhood. At the…

Born 1953, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Cornel West is an American Philosopher who completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard university and his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy at Princeton University. Dr. West is also known for his deep-rooted connection with Christianity. Although he isn’t a preach or pastor per say there is plenty…

Dr. Benjamin Lukey is a Philosophy Associate Professor at UH of Manoa. On top of being a professor, he spends three days a week in public schools facilitating dialogue groups for the organization Philosophy for Children (P4C) (if you have time, I’ve included a youtube video about what P4C is all about). The process of…

The film starts off by taking you through Fairbanks, Alaska, which was cool because I do not recall ever seeing Alaska land or the Big I in a film before seeing into the wild.  Right of the bat you are witnessing Christopher McCandless’s (main character) arrival to Alaska. Chris is dropped off by a guy…

This quote was used as a slogan for the Black Panthers to protest the oppression and the struggles of all people all over the world. This video is called “THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975“, which can be found on YouTube. A group of Swedish people wanted to come together and create a film in order…

The Critical Social Worker podcast unfolds unique stories and diverse perspectives to foster critical dialogue, empathy, and understanding for all listeners. Through story telling we aim to change ourselves, and the world one story at a time. Principles of the podcast are to : Foster critical dialogue, reflection, and critical consciousness. Use storytelling as a…

Introduction Chapter 6 began with statistics on suicide data: According to CDC, there was a 25% increase on suicide deaths between 1999 and 2016 .The population of White men in the United States are rising and are caused by self infliction. Indigenous and Aboriginal populations have a higher rate of White population in Australia, Canada,…