Advancing Anti-Racist Social Work Practice: Racial Identity Processing Groups As a Promising Tool for Transforming the Profession

Background/Purpose: Despite the proliferation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education and social work, many efforts to address racism remain surface-level, yielding limited behavioral or structural transformation. Traditional DEI trainings often emphasize information over integration, failing to shift deeply held beliefs or prepare participants for sustained anti-racist practice. At the same time, anti-DEI legislation is rapidly reshaping higher education, curbing race-conscious pedagogies, and limiting the profession’s ability to meet accreditation standards that call for culturally responsive, anti-oppressive practice. This study responds to that urgency by examining Racial Identity Processing Groups (RIPG), a 10-week, 25-hour psycho-educational curriculum designed to reduce implicit racial bias and deepen racial identity awareness through structured affinity-based dialogue. RIPG supports transformative change by bridging internal reflection with external accountability—aligning social work education with the profession’s call to racial justice.

Methods: From 2018 to 2022, a total of 48 social work students, preschool teachers, and administrators participated across four implementation cohorts (Spring 2018, Fall 2018, 2019, and 2022), completing a 10-week, 25-hour Racial-Identity Processing Group (RIPG) curriculum facilitated by two moderators in racially-affinitized groups (White and BIPOC). This non-sequential mixed-method study employed a pre-post survey design and qualitative inquiry. To assess shifts in color-blind racial attitudes, we administered the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) across cohorts. Paired t-tests were conducted to examine whether changes in scores were statistically significant, and effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were computed to measure interventions’ impact in numeric terms. Qualitatively, we conducted and thematically analyzed focus group interviews to explore participants' reflections, emotional processing, and relational shifts.

Results: All cohorts demonstrated statistically significant reductions in color-blind racial attitudes. The 2022 cohort—composed of early childhood educators and delivered with refined strategies—showed the most significant impact (t (21) = -2.88, p = .009, d = 0.613), indicating medium-to-large effects. Earlier cohorts (2018–2019) also showed significant gains (p = .037). Thematic analysis revealed the intervention’s depth: White participants described increased awareness of racial privilege, emotional discomfort, and the development of a racial justice lens. BIPOC participants emphasized the power of shared space for cultural healing and called for content that centers on their lived realities. Across cohorts, participants voiced greater readiness to confront bias, navigate discomfort, and engage in race-conscious practice.

Conclusions/Implications: The RIPG intervention offers a replicable and timely model for reducing implicit racial bias and cultivating racial self-awareness—particularly within professions mandated to uphold culturally responsive, anti-oppressive practice. Grounded in research and refined over multiple cohorts, RIPG supports social work educators and practitioners in advancing anti-racist practice in social work education and training. In a climate of escalating anti-DEI legislation, RIPG affirms the value of racial affinity processing groups and the importance of education that engages both people's emotions and their lived experiences—particularly around race and identity. As public discourse increasingly questions the role of race and racism in professional preparation, RIPG stands as both an intervention and an act of resistance—advancing transformative justice in the face of systemic erasure.