Social Work's Grand Challenge: What does it Mean to Eliminate Racism?

In 1971 the Council on Social Work Education publicly acknowledged the need to develop practices that would better prepare social work (SW) to respond to racially-marginalized, and non- racially-majoritarian populations. As a result, by the mid-1980s, SW programs across the country began to import a range of cultural-competency and diversity, training, workshops, and curriculum requirements; some of which have become synonymous with today’s profession. However, over the past decade, many of these efforts have come under considerable scrutiny. The primary criticisms have focused on the a-political nature of these activities, and their failure to address the underlying causes of racial injustice. In keeping with these criticisms, on June 6th, 2020, the Social Work Grand Challenge confronted the SW profession with the task of Eliminating Racism. While this gester is noteworthy, it raises questions. For example, what does it mean to end racism? And furthermore, what role can social work play? In an effort to resound to these uncertainties, this presentation will attempt to guide participants in their efforts to 1. Contextualize social work's role and commitments to this process, 2. Critically examine current pedagogical and research practices within the profession, and 3. Actively engage in building and operationalizing models that can support this challenge.