Environmental Justice Is a Social Justice Issue: Incorporating Environmental Justice Into Social Work Practice Curricula

ABSTRACT

Social justice education for social work practice is concerned with addressing issues of power and oppression as they impact intersections of identity, experience, and the social environment. However, little focus is directed toward the physical and natural environment despite overwhelming evidence that traditionally marginalized groups bear the burden of environmental problems. In this article, we discuss environmental disaster impacts on marginalized communities, presence of environmental justice in social work literature, and opportunities for integrating environmental justice into social work’s mandated disciplinary competencies. We conclude with an example of a module implemented in a foundation Social Justice for Social Work Practice course using place-based education principles as an illustration of concrete strategies for incorporating environmental justice into social justice curricula.

Notes

¹ We acknowledge that gender (although researched to a lesser extent) is also an important factor in disparate experiences of environmental equality. This article focuses on race and socioeconomic status, as the empirical base indicates these factors are the most correlated with environmental inequality.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ramona Beltrán

Ramona Beltrán is assistant professor at the University of Denver. Alice Hacker is a Bilingual Child and Family Therapist at Aurora Mental Health Center in Aurora, Colorado. Stephanie Begun is a doctoral student at the University of Denver.

Alice Hacker

Ramona Beltrán is assistant professor at the University of Denver. Alice Hacker is a Bilingual Child and Family Therapist at Aurora Mental Health Center in Aurora, Colorado. Stephanie Begun is a doctoral student at the University of Denver.

Stephanie Begun

Ramona Beltrán is assistant professor at the University of Denver. Alice Hacker is a Bilingual Child and Family Therapist at Aurora Mental Health Center in Aurora, Colorado. Stephanie Begun is a doctoral student at the University of Denver.