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Cultural Biography: Understanding Myself

Taesha Wilcox
Georgia State University

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In order to become proficient with dealing with diverse clientele; Social Workers must
understand the different cultural influences that have brought them to this exact place of
existence. In return, these events that one must ponder on whether they are obstacles or a
triumphant milestone gives that person a better way of understanding themselves. Take for
instance Taesha Meion Wilcox born August 29, 1991in the city of Atlanta, to an unmarried
couple Kiki Wilcox and Adrian Anderson. At this time, Kiki was just a young teenage girl
having her second child with a man who has not been around to witness neither child's birth. She
did not know it then but years later she would become a victim to the cocaine drug plague that
seemed to sweep the nation; which would subsequently lead to Taesha being in the custody of
her grandparents until she was a young adult. During Taesha's life and predominantly in college
she would begin to realize how her upbringing and memories hidden in the dark has impacted the
women she is today.

Positionality/ Multiple Identities

Positionality is self- reflection on who you are, where you have come from, and where
you are heading as a diverse person (Lum, 2011, pg 139); therefore the identities Taesha
connects with stems from the many challenges faced in life. After being taken away from your
family and entering Child Protective Services and witnessing the effects that have on a child
firsthand. One would feel the need to want to make a difference in the life of a child going
through the same circumstances. It becomes a part of that person's life when the horrible
incidents seem to hunt their memories day and night. The little girl spoke about previously
wanting to give her life to making a difference for these kids because she knows firsthand the
feeling that many of the children in CPS will face. For her, it was about giving back the things
she felt was not provided to her while dealing with that particular challenge in life. Although
Taesha has made it through difficult times in life, the battle still has not been won in her mind.
As of today she is a full-time student at Georgia State. Taesha works forty plus hours at Kroger
the other five days as a Supervisor, Customer Service Representative, and Accounting Clerk to
pay the rent and utility bills. The reason behind all this hard work is indeed the reward that will
come later, but Taesha's motivation comes from the fear of once again being the girl that is has
nothing. This girl sees a future too bright for anyone or anything to stand in the way. There will
be a BSW in the near future that will be followed by an MSW with a great job and the house and
car of her dream. And at that moment the identities and the way she positions herself in this
world will become much more meaningful.

Dilemmas of Americanization

In America, College is this time to leave home, gain knowledge, and find out who that
person is inside of you, but for some people it is the total opposite. Applying for all the big
colleges and waiting for a letter of admission can become stressful but at the same time it is a
joyous moment. So here she is a young girl accepted to Bethune-Cookman University, her heart
is on it and plus all of her friends are going there. Then life hits home, and now there is no more

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Grandmother there as Taesha's support system. There are no scholarships, no college fund so the
mindset becomes this is impossible. But then there is a community college and that is where one
would have to settle until the opportunity for better prevails. So that is where the college journey
began, but the shock came after enrolling at Georgia State University and having to adjust to the
very difficult course load. The transitioning stage for someone leaving a two year college and
going on to a huge university overloads a student. The reasoning behind this dilemma is that the
student becomes so use to the leniency and the soft curriculum, and they began to think this is
how college works. Taesha had to begin to re-evaluate her college life; more so to get an
understanding of what is being asked of her so that we could better fit this new culture.

Family Culture

Family and culture fulfill our needs. They are the source of our perception and worldview
(Lum, 2011, pg 144). The grandmother Addie mentioned earlier was born to a white male and a
black woman, which made her mixed. Although, from her appearance, you could not have
known her ethnic background, she always identified as African American. Addie married a black
man and had four children whom all considered themselves to be African American, and all four
of these children went on to produce children with someone of the same ethnic background.
Because children learn from the parents and others around them what it means to be a member
of a particular cultural group (Lum, 2011, pg 143); the generation of children of which Taesha
is a part of is considered themselves to be far removed from the European background, and
recognizes themselves as African American. Addie was always the head of the family, and all
the holiday celebrations were at her house including Sunday dinner. She was the root of the
Wilcox tree, and the day she passed away was the day the tree began to lose some of the limbs.

Growing up in a neighborhood just a little above the poverty line and going to a public
school, would leave a child to surround themselves with peers of the same race. In an
environment like that, it is hard to outsource one's self to different communities so that he or she
could gain knowledge about different cultures. The Wilcox family shares certain country slang,
although everyone was born and raised in Atlanta Ga. Many of the family members are often
asked where are you from. Maybe it is a family thing because it was not until Taesha entered
the professional world that she realized people judged her intelligence level based off the
language used. It is easy to become accustomed to individuals of your cultural group when your
significant other, the people in the neighborhood, and your work environment is predominantly
surrounded by people of the same culture.

Cultural Awareness of Other Inventory

Being that so much of the cultures that surrounded Taesha was mostly that of her own she
did not attempt to explore the outside cultures. "There are societal forces that serve to separate us

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from each other; people from different economic groups, religions, ethnic groups, and races are
often isolated from each other in schools, jobs, and neighborhoods (Community Tool Box,
2014, Ch 27). Therefore, this only adds fuel to the fire. Not to say she had any negative
impressions of others, it was just the fact that other ethnicities were not a part of her everyday
life. Therefore, she did not have the desire to want to know or was even interested at that point.
She was not raised to form an opinion about anyone, but we all carry misinformation and
stereotypes about people in different cultures (Community Tool Box, 2014, Ch 27). Where
Taesha is from you date, befriend, and hangout with people of the same ethnicity because that is
all you know. In a sense, this hinders the child, because when being presented with others
cultures from new surroundings what do you do? Taesha went to school with children of her race
until she was in high school; which only consisted of two white students and a tiny minority of
Mexican Americans. Even after being introduced to these different cultures the students even
Taesha separated themselves, and the blacks hung with the blacks, the whites with the whites and
the Mexican Americans with the Mexican Americans.

Intersectionality (Internal and External)

Internally and externally there are things that distinct one group from another and some
things leaves one to be in a sense privileged over another. One external intersection that may
cause problems while working with clients could be age. Some clients look for older adult
someone who they may view has more experience or wisdom than someone just entering the
field, and this could have a negative effect on the client and the help they receive. Internally
social workers should be carefully when it comes to religion because we all have different faiths;
we should try not to let religion and work clash. On the other hand, there are some external
intersections such as race and gender that could help when dealing with clients. Some individuals
feel safe working with others of the same gender, and there is a comfort level for some when
working with individuals of the same race, because they may feel a stronger connection.

The journey explained has impacted a great deal too why Taesha is at this place in life.
There is not a thing to change because one has to learn to accept who they are and become
confident that their background does not dictate which direction their life will go after this point.
Who knows what other events may occur in life that would prompt a change. As of today the
interpretation of life is to cease every opportunity to learn about yourself and others. So that in
the future when there is a challenge to help others presents itself; there will be knowledge
instilled to better serve the clients.

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References
Building Relationships with People from Different Cultures. (2014). In Cultural Competencies in
a Multicultural World. Work Group for Community Health and Development. Retrieved
November 20, from, http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/culturalcompetence/building- relationships/main
Lum, D. (2011). Culturally Competent Practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups
and justice issues. (4th Ed) Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. ISBN: 978-08400-3443-4.