Community Conversation: Anti-Blackness in Social Work

This is a hybrid event with Zoom and in-person options.

Social work is a profession where we’re challenged to uphold the ethics of Social Justice and to recognize the Dignity and Worth of All People. However, our profession - like all institutions - has been grounded in white supremacy, and we’ve seen historically how people of color, particularly Black people, have been negatively impacted by social work. From participation in terrible racist experimentation to racially biased licensing exams, social work as a profession has harmed Black clients and practitioners alike. How can we better recognize and challenge the embedded anti-Blackness within our systems? How do we see anti-Blackness seep into our clinical practice, consciously and unconsciously? What are some of the challenges or conflicts that exist, if any, to dismantling anti-Blackness in social work, and what are some of the commitments you want to make to overcome them?

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Let us come together in a community conversation to explore our challenges and discuss ways to embrace our individual perspectives while maintaining a firm commitment to respect and integrity.

This is a time for conversation - to share feelings, expand our minds, and talk together as a school community. To aid the conversation, space will be limited. (We know it's coming up soon, so if you miss it, don't fear! If there is a lot of interest in this topic, we can hold another session soon.)

About the format. With these smaller Community Conversations, our hope is to explore restorative dialogue and build community, creating a space where we are all teachers and learners. We will draw heavily on practices from intergroup dialogue and restorative justice.