As social workers, we value the importance of human relationships (NASW, 2017) built on communication and trust. We know that words are important. Words shape our thoughts, impact our feelings about ourselves and others, and structure the ways we interact with and understand the world. Words also carry the burden of our social histories, and we cannot invoke words, especially racially charged words, lightly. The incident that occurred in an Africana studies classroom was a case where one of the country’s most racially charged, historically laden slurs was written on the whiteboard and made visible. This incident speaks to the painful ways—both large and small—that white supremacy is embedded in our university systems and processes, resulting in harm experienced by Black students, staff, and faculty despite our university’s commitment to anti-racism.
In their open letter about this and other racist events on campus, Black Indigenous, Multiracial, People of Color (BIMPoC) student groups at UT made it clear that they want to know how the university will address issues of bias, discrimination, and systemic racism. We, as the Dean and Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion, want to acknowledge and respond to this request on behalf of the UT College of Social Work (UTCSW), outlining our college’s efforts to address issues of racism and white supremacy in ourselves, our classrooms, our curriculum, and our policies and practices.
This year, the College of Social Work renewed our commitment to undertaking fundamental changes that will ensure that the UTCSW is an academic home where Black-identified students, faculty, staff, other folks of color, and/or those who hold marginalized identities may bring their full selves and thrive. Our equity and inclusion efforts are focused on (1) developing individual understanding about racism and white supremacy; (2) enhancing skills for engaging in conversations about racism and oppression, especially in the classroom; and (3) reviewing our processes for addressing student concerns.
We believe that individual anti-racism work begins with the work of deconstructing colonial ideologies. To that end, UTCSW faculty, staff, and students have gathered in caucus groups to connect and learn about ways to examine internalized white supremacist ideology. The caucus group members not only share knowledge, they create a community of learners that hold one another accountable to do the work, both personally and professionally. The curriculum is centered on reading a book assigned to each group, bi-monthly discussions, and journaling. The White Accountability Groups (WAG) are reading the New York Times bestseller, “me and white supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor” by Layla F. Saad. The faculty/staff Black Indigenous, Multiracial, People of Color (BIMPoC) group is reading Frantz Fanon’s “Black Skin. White Masks,” and the BIMPoC student groups are reading, “Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum. The caucus groups provide a space for ongoing self-reflection that have proven to increase personal, interpersonal, and professional development.
To further assist UTCSW community members to engage in meaningful conversations around issues of racism, discrimination, and oppression, the College implemented Critical Conversations training, an evidence-based model (Kang & O’Neill, 2018) that gives participants the skills and knowledge to address issues of racism, white supremacy, and discrimination and oppression in classrooms, professional meetings, student organizations, etc. Since the initial training in July 2020, more than 75 UTCSW administrators, faculty, staff, and students have been trained.
We are also building additional supports for social work faculty to provide a space to offer peer support on anti-racist pedagogy. The Office of Equity and Inclusion is launching the Pedagogy & Diversity (P & D) teaching seminar this semester to support and sustain a culture of teaching excellence.
Finally, we recognize that we must review and revise our structures and processes to insure honest evaluation, real accountability, and restorative justice when harm is experienced. While we have processes for students to raise concerns with and about their instructors/classes/field placements delineated in our program and field handbooks, members of the UTCSW Dean’s Student Advisory Council have requested a more explicit protocol around issues of racism, discrimination, and oppression that would be communicated widely and regularly to students. The Committee on Equity and Inclusion (CEI) will work with student leaders and program and field directors to review the current processes and ensure that mechanisms are in place to insure students know how to register their concerns. The faculty and staff will also work with the CEI and the Faculty Governance Committee to insure that the College’s evaluation processes include evaluation for engaging in anti-racist practices.
When we listen to College faculty, staff, and students discuss how we will meet the challenges that lie ahead, we hear dedication, commitment to one another, and a resolve to deliver the best academic experience in a welcoming and supportive community. We invite everyone to find a way to plug in, share your thoughts and ideas, and help us as we do this important work. We will continue this work and review and report on our progress as we move forward together. As social workers, we can do no less.
Lori Messinger, Dean
J. Camille Hall, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion
References
Kang, HK, and O’Neill, P. (2018) Teaching note–Constructing critical conversations: A model for facilitating classroom dialogue for critical learning. Journal of Social Work Education, 54 (1), 187-193. DOI:10.1080/10437797.2017.1341857
National Association of Social Workers (2017) Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: NASW Press. Available online at https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
University of Tennessee Knoxville Campus News. (2021, Feb. 7) “Update on incident in Africana Studies classroom.” https://news.utk.edu/2021/02/07/update-on-incident-in-africana-studies-classroom/
University of Tennessee Student Government Association (2021, Feb. 7). “A statement…” https://twitter.com/UTKSGA/status/1358418696734187523