‘We all bleed the same’: module development in diversity education to facilitate empathy and connection

ABSTRACT

Authors provide an approach to diversity education that strives to combat the perpetuation of inequality and systemic racism during the current pandemic. Doctoral students (N = 9) collaborated with faculty (N = 2) from a private university in the southern region of the US to develop a unit engrained in issues of contemporary society. The proposed unit provides a perspective of intersectionality that combines aspects of sameness and differentness to facilitate connection and empathy. This unit should be implemented in a graduate-level diversity foundational course in conjunction with practicum and assessed on its impact of addressing practice issues to connect and empathize with clients.

KEYWORDS:

• Anti-discriminatory practice
• cultural competence
• diversity
• education

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Derrick Kranke

Julie De King DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA.

Julie De King

Jamie Ingram DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Jamie Ingram

Jordan Adams DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Jordan Adams

Tara Consolino DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Tara Consolino

Michael Mann-Stock DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Michael Mann-Stock

Michelle Matthey DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Michelle Matthey

Tichiya Maxey DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Tichiya Maxey

Tamika Pilgrom DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Tamika Pilgrom

Vanessa White DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA

Vanessa White

Tonya Cross Hansel Associate Professor and Director of DSW program, Tulane University

Tonya Cross Hansel

Jamie Ingram DSW students at Tulane University School of Social Work, New Orleans, LA, USA