Posted on 06/25/2005 1:37:31 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A white social worker says he was banned from a recent professional conference because of his skin color.
Brian Parnell, 44, of Bakersfield, Calif., filed a federal civil rights complaint against the National Association of Black Social Workers, which held its annual conference in early April in New Orleans. Parnell said he went to the conference with five colleagues, but, as the only white in the group, was barred from attending.
"I was deeply hurt," Parnell said. "Social work is the profession that is all about making sure social justice takes place everywhere you go. There is a code of ethics you are supposed to subscribe to, to be a social worker. One of those tenets is, you don't discriminate against other people."
Parnell, a program director for the Kern County Department of Human Services in Bakersfield, said he has not hired an attorney but is considering a lawsuit.
The National Association of Black Social Workers was created in 1968 in San Francisco. It has an office in Washington, D.C., and several chapters at colleges across the nation. Calls to the national office for comment were not answered Saturday.
Parnell said the group's executive director, Sandra Wheeler, turned him down for admission to the conference, saying he could not attend because he is white.
"She said, 'There are some conversations that black people need to have. If you included a white person in them, people may not feel free to speak their minds,'" Parnell said.
Wheeler could not be located for comment.
Parnell recently filed a civil rights complaint with the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The NABSW has nonprofit status that makes donations tax-deductible.
"Membership in NABSW is open to black people working in human services," the University of North Carolina social work school's Web site says.
Parnell said he went to the conference seeking guidance and insights into the black community and social services, particularly foster care and adoption.
"It doesn't make sense to me to say, 'We have to exclude other people who are interested in helping us'" Parnell said.
What part of TAX EXEMPT STATUS do you not understand. They are not a private org.
Black organization discriminating against a White. If it were a White organization discriminating, one could hear the likes of ole Jesse "Shakedown" Jackson, Al "The Fraud" Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan howling to the moon about a boycott following by the Black Congressional Caucus initiating an investigation and Hitlery, Reddy Teddy and host of other demoncRAT senators yelling the same.
Amen. Trying to group people by race seems like an anachronism from the 1950s. It's OK with me if the NABSW wants to exclude me so they can feel better about living in the shadows of genuine intellectuals like Thomas Sowell.
I agree with you....this is most definately discrimination.
"Social work is the profession that is all about making sure social justice takes place everywhere you go."
Those social workers need some of their own caseworkers. I'm call Child Protective Services.....
Shocking
/sarcasm
You confirm my point - that you are assuming FReepers are white. Don't see why you should.
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