The Future of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Social Work Challenges and Opportunities

Introduction

The future of race, ethnicity, and culture in social work: challenges and opportunities

Mo Yee Lee, Jerome H. Schiele and Michael S. Spencer

Part I: Grand Challenges

1. Reconciling the past and shaping the future: The importance of social work history in the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism

Kelechi C. Wright, Kortney Carr and Becci A. Akin

2. Social work’s grandest challenge: re-contextualizing racism and reducing its deleterious effects on its members and those we serve

Jacquelyn C. A. Meshelemiah

3. Decolonizing big data: addressing data colonialism in social work’s grand challenges

Autumn Asher BlackDeer and Sara Beeler

4. Advancing the grand challenge to eliminate racism: a call to action for citational justice in social work

Tiffany Baffour, Myra Garcia and Mindi Rich

Part II: Knowledge Production and Education

5. Epistemic ethics justice: a “radical imaginary”

Bibiana D. Koh

6. Infusing social justice into the signature pedagogy: a decision-making model emphasizing anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in social work practicum

Tory L. Cox and Melissa Indera Singh

7. Eliminating racial disparities in policing: a social work infusion model

Hope H. Palacio and Krystal Hays

Part III Communities and Issues

8. The intersectionality of race, gender, and low-wage work

Dianne Davis-Wagner, Breshell Nevels, Valjean Livingston, Insoo Chung & Kirsten Swedburg Ericksen

9. Antisemitism and social work: challenges and opportunities for education and practice

Carole Cox

10. Invisible no more: the intersectionality of Asian American immigrants experiences

Hee An Choi and Othelia EunKyoung Lee

11. An incongruence between policy, practice, and cultural values: implications for mental health services in Namibia

Atelma C. Thanises and Jacquelyn C. A. Meshelemiah

12. The shoe on the other foot: considering oppression for BIPOC social workers

Jessica Saba, Danica Nestor, Nidia Hernandez and Kesslyn Brade Stennis

13. Reproductive violence and environmental injustice in the United States: opportunities to promote justice, equity, and inclusion

Catherine Poehling, Melissa Indera Singh and Candice C. Beasley

Biography

Mo Yee Lee is Professor and PhD Program Director, College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Ohio, USA. She is editor of the Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work since 2007, president of The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work from 2019 to 2021, and recipient of the 2022 GADE Faculty Educational Leadership Award.

Jerome H. Schiele is Professor and Chair of PhD/DSW Department, Morgan State University, Maryland, USA. His research expertise is oppression studies, social welfare history, policy analysis, and social work education. He served on the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work’s Board of Directors from 2021 to 2024, and he has served on the Editorial Boards of major social work journals.

Michael S. Spencer (Kānaka Maoli) is the Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work and a Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, Washington, USA. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative and co-leads two critical Grand Challenges: Close the Health Gap and Eliminate Racism. A dedicated leader and scholar, Spencer’s work focuses on advancing equity, addressing systemic racism, and promoting health and social justice through innovative research, education, and advocacy.