Addressing Anti-Black Racism: The Roles of Social Work

ABSTRACT

Anti-Black Racism (A-BR) has led to recent and highly publicized killings of African Americans (AA). Still absent from the professional and scientific social work (SWK) literature are multilevel descriptions of recommendations for advancing AA racial justice (AARJ). First, the manuscript provides a brief summary of historical forms of American structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal racism. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted to aid social workers in resolving ambiguity regarding the SWK profession’s role in advancing AARJ. Multilevel, nuanced recommendations for policy, clinical practice, and educational SWK interventions are provided. The recommendations are diverse and can be implemented across multiple levels of SWK practice. For the social work profession to reach its potential, it must recognize and use its distinctive qualities for advancing AARJ.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work
• racial justice
• black
• African American
• racism
• inequity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was unfunded

Notes on contributors

Virgil L. Gregory

Virgil L. Gregory is an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work. Dr. Gregory is a licensed clinical social worker with a history of using cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of persons with mood, anxiety, psychotic, and substance use disorders. His work places an emphasis on the translation of research into clinical social work practice. Dr. Gregory's research agenda focuses on the evaluation and implementation of cognitive-behavior therapy in the treatment of opioid use and other drug disorders, affective disorders, and in persons of African descent. Dr. Gregory is currently focused on developing a psychometrically validated scale for measuring cultural trauma in Black men. Dr. Gregory's methods also include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials.

Kelly Lynn Clary

Kelly Lynn Clar is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Texas State University. Her research agenda includes exploring and documenting developmental and cultural factors/causes and consequences related to high-risk health behaviors, particularly substance use among placed at-risk populations (e.g., military/veterans, emerging adults, college students, and LGBTQIA persons). Further, she hopes to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally informed measures and interventions to reduce health disparities (e.g., substance use, mental health, suicide).