Afrocentric Perspective Analysis

Afrocentric Perspective Afrocentric prospective is one that I think most people might think about when they speak about power, privilege and oppression as well as theories such as the white savior complex; which I argue is a misnomer today and it should be called a western cultural complex, but it is not one they have consciously put into practice. Since I mostly work with people of color, in historically black and minority communities, it is one that I have put into practice daily. Though this perspective has various aspects to it, Kirst-Ashman & Zastrow recognized that this perspective attempts to “facilitate human and societal transformation toward moral, spiritual, and humanistic ends. It seeks to persuade people of different cultural

The work I do recognizes that members of the community are tied to the neighborhoods they are in and the historical significance they hold; therefore, it is important to recognize that standard ways of intervening that have been used not with my populations should be evaluated with a critical eye. Topics like gentrification are often conversations that are brought up to be discussed at community meetings and with that how community members embrace new people in the community without feeling as if them and their cultures will be displaced. With this perspective, we recognize the need to pull religious leaders into conversations and allow for prayers to be said at meetings, even if it is not company protocol. Those important aspects are what strengthen community bonds and helps unite people across ethnic divides within Northeast Denver. This perspective also understands how important the word “community” is for the people we serve. Meetings cannot be viewed through a western approach as something that starts and ends on time and are simply a place to get business done. Within each coalition I serve, meetings are set to start at a specific time, but the viewpoint of the staff is to give individuals 12-30 minutes to settle in, eat food and catch up on the news of each other’s lives. This is a key ritual to starting a meeting with

With this perspective, we cannot simply look at the issue of early childhood education and only see the school, but also the historical accounts that affect students’ ability to learn. The fact that many families are immigrants and students have spent time outside of normal school procedures plays into a child’s ability to succeed. Recognizing that spiritual beliefs may keep or hinder families from seeking assistance with a child who suffers from autism is considered and we seek community spiritual leaders’ assistance with convincing community members to act to help their children. Relationships tensions with the police are viewed from the worldview that African Americans and Latinos have in their history of police brutality and deportation when trying to find ways to strengthen police relationships with community members. Understanding that people of color, specifically African Americans in the community I serve come from a rich and exhaustive culture and network is essential for ensuring that community members are bought into the programs and coalitions we help run at my agency. However, even as I do this work daily, I recognize that there are many areas I could improve on when using this perspective. One such area is my patience when working with community members. Not using predefined methods can be exhausting,