Antiracism Expanding Social Work Education: A Qualitative Analysis of the Undoing Racism Workshop Experience

ABSTRACT

The importance of addressing implications of racism has reached a critical point at colleges and universities across the United States, and schools of social work are no exception. This study uses grounded theory methods to thematically analyze data from student participants (N=30) on their thoughts and reactions during a 2 1/2-day Undoing Racism workshop sponsored by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Qualitative data were collected to answer the research question, How do students experience an intensive Undoing Racism workshop, and what are the implications for integrating antiracism into social work education? Findings imply that workshop-based learning may be more effective than solely using course content to teach antiracism material and also indicate the importance of activity-based learning, as well as an emphasis on developing concrete strategies to combat racism.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Samantha Schneider

Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, PhD, is Professor, and Samantha Schneider, MTS, MSW, is Doctoral Candidate, at Simmons College School of Social Work.