Social policy is not blind. It has been at the forefront of perpetuating structural inequality in many of the systems charged with serving and protecting. The impact of race on social policy is linked to historical (intended and unintended) patterns of discrimination that have resulted in disparate impact for many across their life course. This book uses critical race theory to examine key social policies. The chapters give primacy to addressing the experiences of African Americans in navigating systems that are flawed by structural racism and yet too often attribute individual pathology rather than systemic injustice to the worsening life circumstances they find themselves in. Using scholarship, personal, and professional experiences, the contributors offer valuable insight on differential treatment and the resulting missed opportunities to address historical barriers that, if not addressed, will continue the cycle of harm for marginalized members in society.
The Covid-19 pandemic along with the loss of Black lives through carceral injustices have amplified the national discourse about race and social policy. Additionally, critical race theory has been championed by many as a framework for understanding the structural inequalities that plague our nation. Others have assailed the theory as promoting hate, guilt, and divisiveness. The contributors use critical race theory in combination with other theoretical frameworks to provide context for the persistent and pernicious injustices that have historically plagued society. Their work offers context with the goal of policy changes aimed at eradicating systemic injustices that negatively impact quality of life.
Race and Social Policy is a significant new contribution to understanding and addressing systemic and structural racism, and it will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of social work, politics, public policy, and sociology. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Social Work in Public Health.
1. Race and Social Policy: Confronting Our Discomfort
Sandra Edmonds Crewe and Ruby M. Gourdine
2. The Intrapsychic Psychological Binds of Poverty and Race: The Intersection of Mind and Milieu
Janice Berry Edwards
3. Banging on a Locked Door: The Persistent Role of Racial Discrimination in the Workplace
Tracy R. Whitaker
4. Tilted Images: Media Coverage and the Use of Critical Race Theory to Examine Social Equity Disparities for Blacks and Other People of Color
Gracie Lawson-Borders
5. The Last Stages of Gentrification: Washington, DC, Mayoral Elections and Housing Advocacy
Lorenzo Morris
6. Education Policy and Outcomes Within the African American Population
Martell L. Teasley
7. We Treat Everybody the Same: Race Equity in Child Welfare
Ruby M. Gourdine
8. Game Changers: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the Economic, Social, and Political Factors Impacting Black Fatherhood and Family Formation
Brianna P. Lemmons and Waldo E. Johnson
9. Inequities in Family Quality of Life for African-American Families Raising Children with Disabilities
Carl Algood and Amber M. Davis
10. Justice Is Not Blind: Disproportionate Incarceration Rate of People of Color
Janie L. Jeffers
11. The Task is Far from Completed: Double Jeopardy and Older African Americans
Sandra Edmonds Crewe
12. Racism and the Christian Church in America: Caught between the Knowledge of Good and Evil
Annie Woodley Brown
Biography
Sandra Edmonds Crewe is Dean and Professor of Social Work at Howard University, USA. Her scholarship addresses social justice, and policy and program initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for African Americans, especially older African Americans. Dr. Crewe has extensive practice experience in assisted and affordable housing.
