Social Work Practice with African Americans
SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE 2
Abstract
The focus of this paper is to highlight one of many special population groups within the United States, the African American community. This paper will give a preliminary understanding of the African American community, as well as an understanding of the problems associated with this community. Research included will provide information on the causes and consequences of the problems associated with the African American community, the involvement of social agencies in response to problems within the African American community, and the U.S. legislative actions relative to the African American community. This paper …show more content…
Among these problem areas, the issue of poverty is considered to be the most problematic issue within the African American community and is directly responsible for most problem areas within the African American population …show more content…
According to statistics by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), African Americans compromise nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million U.S. incarceration population rates. The NAACP also reports that one in six African American males have been incarcerated since 2001, and predicts a future outlook of one in three African American males will become incarcerated at one point in their lifetime (NAACP.org, 2013). Another important problem among many African American males is that many African American males report high cases of HIV/AIDS within the United States (Morales, Sheafor, & Scott, 2012). According to statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov, 2010), African American males represented for 10,600 reported cases of HIV infections in 2010 (CDC.gov, 2010). Because of these issues concerning African American males, many complications have been placed upon African American females in terms of marriage and newly reported cases of HIV infection. These difficulties have also resulted in the development of unwanted stressors such as defiant attitudes and personalities, socialization skills, and compliances with mainstream society (Morales, Sheafor, & Scott,