Runnin g h eader: M E, M Y F A M IL Y , C O M M UN IT Y V ALU ES 1
Me, My Family, Community Values and Social Work
Ermyas Sereke
Kutztown University
ME, MY FAMILY AND THE COMMUNITY 2
Me, My Family and My Community Values and Social Work
Me: Who Am I
We all belong to a specific race, gender, and ethnicity that defines us, set us apart from the
crowd. So it’s important that we know the definition of these terms.
First, race is a group of
people who is related by common descent or heredity. Second, gender is the way people define
their sexual orientation. And lastly, ethnicity is a group of people who shares a common and
distinctive culture, religion, language, dance…etc.
And in case you dont know me, my name is Ermyas Sereke, 21. I’m black and belong to the
Habesha ethnicity.
My Family
My family consists of eight people with two females and four males; we all belong to black and
belong to the Habesha ethnicity: Tiemit Segid (mother), 52, female.
Sereke Teklezghi (father),
60, male. Elsa Sereke, 31, female. Awet Sereke, 27. Samuel Sereke, 23, male. And lastly, Yonas
Sereke, 19, male.
There are many attributes that are unique to my family, but these two attributes are very unique
to my family: clothes and food. Also, there are some attributes that are similar to my community:
the way they go to church every sunday and the way they celebrate New Year.
My Community
Community is a group of people who live in same geographical location or where they share
common attributes. What I consider to be my community is where I feel connected, sharing
interests and goals with others. The geographic location of my community is South Philadelphia.
ME, MY FAMILY AND THE COMMUNITY 3
Table 1
Demographic Distribution of South Philadelphia Community
Race Percentage % Ethnicity Median Household
Income
White 39.2% Italian / Irish $50,000 – 60,000
African American 26.6% Congo / Kenya $30,000 – 50,000
Hispanic 21% Mexican /Puerto Rico $40,000 – 60,000
Asians 13.2% Cambodia / China $20,000 – 40,000
Note: The data are adapted from City-Data.com (2000-2016). Retrieved from
Community Resources
A social institution is group of people who joined together for a common goal or purpose. In my
community, there are a variety of institutions serving people:
? Grocery Store: Walmart and Shoprite
? Religion: Christianity (Epiphany of our Lord Parish) and Islam (Masjid Al-Jamia)
? Education: University of Pennsylvania and Furness High School.
? Social welfare: Southeast by Southeast and County assistance office
? Health: Snyder Dental Center and Jefferson University Hospital
Values
Six social work values:
? Service
? Social Justices
? Dignity and worth of the individual
? Importance and Centrality of human relationship
ME, MY FAMILY AND THE COMMUNITY 4
? Integrity
? Competence
Everything in the world has value and that’s why they exist. Otherwise, why would we need
something that has no value? However, human beings dont value just anything: we all have
something to value and something not to value at all which reflects who we are. Personally, the
most important value to me is dignity and worth of the individual because I think if someone has
no dignity or their dignity was abused by others, they may not able to function in society and
they will lose their confidence and self-esteem.
Social Issues: ICE And Immigration
When it comes to immigration, Philadelphia always was a perfect place to live for documented
and undocumented immigrants, no matter where they come from. But after President Trump took
over office, everything started to change. According to Billy Penn (year), ICE, United States
Immigration and Custom Enforcement, based on Philadelphia being known as the most
aggressive in the nation, arrested 64 percent of undocumented immigrants without criminal
records in 2017, higher than any of their 23 regional parts. It caused Philadelphia residents to
protest against ICE at both City Hall and the ICE office at Eighth and Cherry streets, which
resulted in victory of the protesters when Mayor Kennedy declared he wont renew PARS
contract that allow the ICE to access citys arrest database (Means and Jennifer, 2018).
I chose this article because as an immigrant I feel this topic is relatable to me, even though I’m
not an undocumented immigrant and because I want to raise awareness about undocumented
immigrants situation in Philadelphia.
ME, MY FAMILY AND THE COMMUNITY 5
Reference
Means George and Jennifer Roberts (2018, Sep 13). Immigration: The History Of ICE
And The Controversy. ?Philadelphia Neighborhood. ?Retrieved from
oversy/
Phillys ICE office is the most aggressive in the nation: 64% of immigrants arrested last year had
no criminal convictions. (2018, Apr 12). Retrieved from
mmigrants-arrested-last-year-had-no-criminal-convictions/
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA) income map, earnings map, and wages data. (2000-2016).