Teaching Anti-Racism to White Social Work Students
A Practical Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/26267Keywords:
anti-racism, white students, racial bias, white learning, teaching white social work students, implicit racial biasAbstract
Social work education has traditionally been focused on Whiteness with evidence-based anti-racism practices not commonly taught in social work courses. Utilizing the six anti-racism intervention categories found in the literature review, while incorporating the anti-racism frameworks of learning/unlearning socially conditioned racism, this practice application article focuses on developing an anti-racism MSW course for a university. Additionally, suggestions to infuse anti-racism practices throughout the entirety of an MSW program are introduced. This approach will allow students to develop a more anti-racist mindset throughout their MSW studies. A two-day anti-racism workshop is also proposed which can be used for students or professionals in schools, organizations and companies for community teaching or continuing education.
References
Abrams, L. S., & Gibson, P. (2007). Reframing multicultural education: Teaching white privilege in the social work curriculum. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(1), 147-160. https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2007.200500529
Arkes, H. R., Tetlock, P. E. (2004). Attributions of implicit prejudice, or would Jesse Jackson fail the Implicit Association Test? Psychological Inquiry, 15(4), 257-278. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1504_01
Berg, K. K., & Simon, S. R. (2013). Developing a white anti-racism identity: A psycho- educational group model. Groupwork, 23(1), 7-33. https://doi.org/10.1921/1401230102
Boatright-Horowitz, S. L., Frazier, S., Harps-Logan, Y., & Crockett, N. (2013). Difficult times for college students of color: Teaching white students about white privilege provides hope for change. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(7), 698-708. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2013.836092
Brown, K. M. (2006). Leadership for social justice and equity: Evaluating a transformative framework and andragogy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 42(5), 700-745. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X06290650
Buehler, A. F., Rogerson, C., & Gushwa, M. (2021). “Not the time for kumbaya”: An exploratory study of race-based caucusing in the social work classroom. Advances in Social Work, 21(2/3), 779-800. https://doi.org/10.18060/24092
Burant, T. J., & Rios, F. A. (2010). Seeing you, seeing me: Social perspective-taking as learning. Teacher Education Quarterly, Special Online Edition, 283-209. https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=education_facpubs
Burns, D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. William Morrow and Company.
Bussey, S. R. (2021). Finding a path to anti-racism: Pivotal childhood experiences of white helping professional. Qualitative Social Work, 20(4), 1025-1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325020923021
Castillo, J. A., Camara, C. P., & Eguizabal, A. J. (2011). Prejudice reductions in university programs for older adults. Educational Gerontology, 37, 164-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601271003608811
Chiles, N. (2015, March 26). 8 Black Panther programs that were more empowering than federal government programs. Atlanta Black Star. https://atlantablackstar.com/2015/03/26/8-black-panther-party-programs-that-were-more-empowering-than-federal-government-programs/
Chuang, S. (2021). The application of constructivist learning theory and social learning theory on adult continuous development. Performance Improvement, 60(3), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21963
Council on Social Work Education [CSWE]. (2021, March 24). An update from the anti-racism task force. https://www.cswe.org/news/newsroom/an-update-from-the-anti-racism-task-force/
CSWE. (2022). CSWE’S educational policy and accreditation standards (EPAS) in diversity and justice. https://www.cswe.org/centers-initiatives/center-for-diversity/curriculum-resources/#:~:text=CSWE's%20Educational%20Policy%20and%20Accreditation,human%20and%20community%20well%2Dbeing
Crenshaw, K. (2021, July 2). The panic over critical race theory is an attempt to whitewash U.S. history. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/critical-race-theory-history/2021/07/02/e90bc94a-da75-11eb-9bbb-37c30dcf9363_story.html
Curiel, L. O. (2021). Interracial team teaching in social work education: A pedagogical approach to dismantling white supremacy. Advances in Social Work, 21(2/3), 730-749. https://doi.org/10.18060/24176
Devine, P. G., Forscher, P. S., Austin, A. J., & Cox, W. T. L. (2012). Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 1267-1278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.06.003
Feize, L., & Gonzalez, J. (2018). A model of cultural competency in social work as seen through the lens of self-awareness. Social Work Education, 37(4), 472-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2017.1423049
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed: 30th anniversary edition. Continuum.
Fuller, L., & Meiners E. R. (2020). Will white people work collectively to trump white power? Stepping up for struggle beyond the yard sign. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33(2), 263-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1681540
Garran, A. M., Aymer, S., Rosenthal Gelman, C., & Miller, J. L. (2015). Team-teaching anti-oppression with diverse faculty: Challenges and opportunities. Social Work Education, 34(7), 799-814. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2015.1062086
Ghoshal, R. A., Lippard, C., Ribas, V., & Muir, K. (2012). Beyond bigotry: Teaching about unconscious prejudice. Teaching Sociology, 41(2), 130-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X12446757
Gonzalez, A. M., Steele, J. R., Chan, E. F., Lim, S. A., & Baron, A. S. (2021). Developmental differences in malleability of implicit racial bias following exposure to counterstereotypical exemplars. Developmental Psychology, 57(1), 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001128
Gooden, M. A., & O’Doherty, A. (2015). Do you see what I see? Fostering aspiring leaders’ racial awareness. Urban Education, 50(2), 225-255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085914534273
Graham, M. (1997). Empowering social work faculty: Alternative paradigms for teaching and learning. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 15(1/2), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.1300/J067v15n01_04
Hamilton-Mason, J., & Schneider, S. (2018). Antiracism expanding social work education: A qualitative analysis of the undoing racism workshop experience. Journal of Social Work Education, 54(2), 337-348. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2017.1404518
Hansan, J. E. (2011). Settlement houses: An introduction. Social Welfare History Project. https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/settlement-houses/settlement-houses/
Haslam, R. (2015). Interrupting bias: Calling out vs calling in. Seed The Way. http://www.seedtheway.com/uploads/8/8/0/0/8800499/calling_in_calling_out__3_.pdf
Hayes, D. G., Chang, C. Y., & Havice, P. (2008). White racial identity statuses as predictors of white privilege awareness. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 47, 234-246. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1939.2008.tb00060.x
Heinze, P., & DeCandia, G. (2011). Assessing the learning of white students of themes of white privilege and racism. Multicultural Education, 19(1), 20-24. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ986887.pdf
Hjerm, M., Eger, M. A., & Danell, R. (2018). Peer attitudes and the development of prejudice in adolescence. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 4, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023118763187
Hughes, J. M., Bigler, R. S., & Levy, S. R. (2007). Consequences of learning about historical racism among European American and African American children. Child Development, 78(6), 1689-1705. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01096.x
Katz, J. H. (2003). White awareness: Handbook for anti-racism training (2nd ed.). University of Oklahoma Press.
Kingkade, T., Zadrozny, B., & Collins, B. (2021, June 15). Critical race theory battle invades school boards with help from conservative groups. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/critical-race-theory-invades-school-boards-help-conservative-groups-n1270794
Kolivoski, K. M., Weaver, A., & Constance-Huggins, M. (2014). Critical race theory: Opportunities for application in social work practice and policy. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 95(4), 269-276. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2014.95.36
Kordesh, K. S., Spanierman, L. B., & Neville, H. A. (2013). White university students’ racial affect: Understanding the antiracist type. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 6(1), 33-50. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030102
Lai, C. K., Lehr, S. A., Cerruti, C., Joy-Gaba, J. A., Teachman, B. A., Koleva, S. P., Heiphetz, L., Turner, R. N., Kesebir, S., Rubichi, S., Dial, C. M., Banaji, M. R., Marini, M., Shin, J-E. l., Ho, A. K., Wojcik, S. P., Frazier, R. S., Chen, E. E., Haidt, J., Hawkins, C. B., Shcaefer, H. S., Sartori, G., Sriram, G., & Nosek, B. A. (2014). Reducing implicit racial preferences: I. a comparative investigation of 17 interventions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 143(4), 1765-1785. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036260
Linder, C. (2015). Navigating guilt, shame, and fear of appearing racist: A conceptual model of antiracist white feminist identity development. Journal of College Student Development, 56(6), 535-550. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2015.0057
Lopez-Littleton, V., Blessett, B., & Burr, J. (2018). Advancing social justice and racial equity in the public sector. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 24(4), 449-468. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2018.1490546
Lueke, A., & Gibson, B. (2015). Mindfulness meditation reduces implicit age and race bias: The role of reduced automaticity of responding. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(3), 284-291. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550614559651
Malott, K. M., Schaefle, S., Paone, T. R., Cates, J., & Haizlip, B. (2021). Strategies used by whites to address their racism: Implications for autonomous white racial identities. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 49, 137-151. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12220
Maxwell, K., & Chesler, M. (2019). White student comfort and conflict in experiential racial dialogues. Journal of Experiential Education, 42(3), 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825919859916
Morris, K. A., & Ashburn-Nardo, L. A. (2010). The implicit association test as a class assignment: Student affective and attitudinal reactions. Teaching of Psychology, 37, 63-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986280903426019
Nagda, B., & Zuniga, X. (2003). Fostering meaningful racial engagement through intergroup dialogues. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 6(1), 111-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430203006001015
National Association of Black Social Workers. (2022). History. https://www.nabsw.org/page/History
National Association of Social Workers [NASW]. (2007). Institutional racism and the social work profession: A call to action. https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=SWK1aR53FAk%3D&portalid=0
NASW. (2021a). Code of Ethics. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
NASW. (2021b, June). Undoing racism through social work: NASW report to the profession on racial justice priorities and action. https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=29AYH9qAdXc%3d&portalid=0
Neel, R., & Shapiro, J. R. (2012). Is racial bias malleable? Whites’ lay theories of racial bias predict divergent strategies for interracial interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(1), 101-120. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028237
Nordstrom, A. H. (2015). The voices project: Reducing white students’ racism in introduction to psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 42(1), 43-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628314562524
Paone, T. R., Malott, K., & Barr, J. J. (2015). Assessing the impact of a race-based course on counseling students: A quantitative study. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 43, 206-220. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12015
Project Implicit. (2011). Race IAT. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Robbins, C. K. (2016). White women, racial identity, and learning about racism in graduate preparation programs. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53(3), 256-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1143834
Safe Zone Project. (n.d.). Privilege for sale. The Safe Zone Project. https://thesafezoneproject.com/activities/privilege-for-sale/
Singh, S. (2019). What do we know about the experiences and outcomes of anti-racist social work education? An empirical case study evidencing contested engagement and transformative learning. Social Work Education, 38(5), 631-653. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2019.1592148
Stell, A. J., & Faresides, T. (2016). Brief loving-kindness meditation reduces racial bias, mediated by positive other-regarding emotions. Motivation and Emotion, 40, 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-015-9514-x
Stewart, M. (2020, November 17). Ethnic studies and racial justice courses become more popular, benefiting all students. Insight Into Diversity. https://www.insightintodiversity.com/ethnic-studies-and-racial-justice-courses-become-more-popular-benefiting-all-students/
Sue, D. W., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., Rivera, D. P., & Lin, A. I. (2009). How white faculty perceive and react to difficult dialogues on race. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(8), 1090-1115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000009340443
Tarakali, V. (2006). Towards a psychology of unlearning racism: A case study of a buddhist unlearning racism course for white people (Publication No. 3249808) [Doctoral dissertation, California Institute of Integral Studies]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Tascon, S. M., & Ife, J. (2020). Disrupting whiteness in social work. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429284182
Todd, A. R., Bodenhausen, G. V., Richeson, J. A., & Galinsky A. D. (2011). Perspective-taking combats automatic expressions of racial bias. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(6), 1027-1042. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022308
Yeager, K. A., & Bauer-Wu, S. (2013). Cultural humility: Essential foundation for clinical researchers. Applied Nursing Research 26(4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2013.06.008
Williams, A. A., Bryant, Z. & Carvell, C. (2019). Uncompensated emotional labor, racial battle fatigue, and (in)civility in digital spaces. Sociology Compass 13(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12658
Wilson, B. L. (2020, June 8). I’m your black friend, but I won’t educate you about racism. That is on you. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/06/08/black-friends-educate-racism/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Dennis Cornell
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.