Addressing Systemic Anti-Black Racism in Social Work: A Plan of Action

ABSTRACT

Historic and systemic anti-Black racism are rooted in political, economic, ontological, epistemological, and cultural foundations of Canadian society. The normativity of whiteness and white supremacy are prevalent in social work programs across Canada despite the profession’s commitment to social justice and anti-oppressive practice. Advancing conversations which seek to eradicate anti-Black racism are necessary to create equitable spaces for Black people in schools of social work. Using an environmental scan methodology, this article identifies and discusses strategies that can be utilized across schools of social work in Canada and the U.S. to address anti-Black racism. These strategies relate to the collection of race-based data, curriculum development, support for Black students and faculty members, field education, anti-racism training, research and scholarship, and provision of financial resources. We caution that these changes may be ineffective or unsustainable without addressing and abolishing deeply engrained systemic and institutional racism.

KEYWORDS:

• Anti-black racism
• social work
• higher education
• curriculum development
• systemic barriers

Disclosure statement

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