Student Experiences of Racism in the Social Work Classroom

ABSTRACT The increased national focus on racism and white supremacy has encouraged social workers to look more closely at racism in the profession, which includes racism that occurs in social work education. This study specifically examines social work students’ experiences with racism in social work classes. A convenience sample of current and former students (n = 293) provided quantitative and qualitative responses to a survey that was sent to social work programs and posted on social work-related websites. Findings indicated that half of the students of color and one-third of the white students experienced or witnessed racist incidents in social work classes, perpetrated by students and faculty alike. Though the vast majority of respondents noted that the classroom generally was a safe environment to discuss race, and that they felt comfortable voicing concerns about racism, only half of the incidents were addressed, and it was usually students, not faculty, who raised concerns about the incidents. Through centering student voices, this study supports the need for actions to be taken by schools of social work to prevent and to address racism in the classroom.