School Social Work & Racial Justice: Stand Up, Speak Up, Because Silence is Deadly

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As a White school social worker who worked in an urban district that primarily serves students and families of color, I am still livid that another Black son…partner…brother…friend…father, was taken with the murder of George Floyd. I wonder how my former students and their families are coping. And with the whole wider world finally talking openly about systemic racism these past few months, I wonder how my former students might be reflecting on their own experiences at school. I too am reflecting back on my time in schools but possibly in a much different way than they are. Along with the ever-present feeling of “I should have done more”, I find myself asking “Why didn’t I?”.

In an effort to help other White school social workers who might be asking themselves that same question, I share my experiences and advice on how to build the courage to speak up and act in anti-racist ways toward dismantling systemic racism in schools.

*Before I share my experiences, I feel it is important to acknowledge that as a White individual I can never truly be an expert on this topic as I have not walked in the shoes of those who have been oppressed because of the color of their skin. With that said, I strongly encourage you to take this piece as an invitation to seek out the words and knowledge of the true experts who have been doing this work long before me. Links to a small portion of these works are available throughout the text, and we will continue conversations about dismantling systemic racism in K-12 schools here at SSWN and on our social media platform, SSWNetwork.

In my role as a school social worker, I saw racial inequities and injustices starting on day one and occurring regularly until the day I left direct practice. I saw it upon entering the special education classroom as it was mostly comprised of Black and Brown children; I saw it when walking through the doors of alternative “behavioral schools” and seeing very few (if any) White students; I saw it in the actions of school staff as they taunted students of color into reacting with aggression to which they swiftly responded with physical restraint; And one image I cannot get out of my head, even 10 years later, is an 8-year-old child with whom I was working being handcuffed by 3 police officers who had been called to the school to “assist” during his meltdown – the school-to-prison pipeline being played out right in front of me.

Early on in my career, as a new school social worker facing the pressure of building strategic alliances within each school’s social ecosystem, I didn’t dare ask other school staff why the White kids seemed to transition more quickly from the special education classroom to the general education classroom, or why some students were taken to the “processing” room for the same behavior that their White peers only received a warning for. After all, our schools were “doing” PBIS so we were on top of the problem of racial disproportions in discipline…right?

Throughout the halls, were the prominently displayed PBIS behavioral expectations signs, the “caught being good” raffle jar, and the trophy case full of prizes for students who followed the rules. But behind the facade, I saw the burn-out in school staff who tried to do their best without the resources and supports they needed. I saw these stressors trickle down as students of color listened to school staff explain how difficult they were during “behavior meetings” while their parents worried about whether their child was going to be “kicked-out.”

Behind closed doors in the teacher lounge, staff complaints of the stressors brought on by “those unruly kids” rang loud while quietly indoctrinating me into a culture of silence around race. It was a dysfunctional family maintaining homeostasis through scapegoating (scapegoating of students and families of color) and I was a part of it.

I realized the power of the system when my small attempts to unravel it (a question here, a challenging statement there), was met with small symbolic actions (not being invited to eat lunch, being left out of meetings, etc.) that showed me my line of questioning would not be tolerated. I felt powerless against a problem that seemed much too big for one social worker to tackle (especially since my time was spread thin across 10 schools).

Ultimately, my compliance with each schools’ culture of silence around race allowed it to continue.

My frustration with what I saw in schools and the realization that I wasn’t fully equipped to tackle it pushed me to pursue more education and training and a larger platform. Now, as a social work Ph.D. candidate, equipped with the theories and knowledge from countless scholars who have been studying the dynamics within systems that create and maintain racial injustice, I feel empowered. I am now eager to share what I’ve learned on my journey with fellow school social workers in hopes that I can help equip others to do this work in their schools. Below are my recommendations for resisting racial silence and building an anti-racist culture in schools.

1. Build a Foundation of Understanding

If you’re reading this thinking “I’m a social worker, I don’t need to learn how to be anti-racist”. False! We all exist within a system built on the ideals of white supremacists and we do not exist within systems without participating in them. Whether we make conscious efforts or not, we are still participating.

So, if we are not challenging the system in some way (even if just by challenging our own biases) then we are, in fact, complicit.

Because of the long legacy of white supremacy, we are all vulnerable to racial bias so we must consciously engage in both anti-racist practices as well as self-reflection. It is through these practices that we can help our schools dismantle the tradition of racism. As such, the first and most important step in this process is to educate yourself on how systemic oppression is born, how it operates, and how it is perpetuated.

Education

To expand on what you learned about systems of oppression in your social work education, here are some great resources below.

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Implicit Bias

In better understanding the lengths that society has gone, to create and maintain a racial hierarchy, it is not surprising that individuals today are still vulnerable to racial implicit biases. In light of this vulnerability, it is important to understand that our brains strive for efficiency which is often accomplished through creating mental categories to speed up judgment and decision making. If we are fatigued, stressed/overwhelmed, mentally unwell, frightened/startled or feel threatened, our brains rely on these automatic categorizations to make judgments quickly (James, 2018). The Kirwin Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University offers an excellent (and FREE!) online training on implicit bias that I highly recommend. You can also read about how implicit bias manifests in different contexts such as policing, healthcare, housing, and schools in the Kirwin Institute’s Annual State of the Science Implicit Bias Review.

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Address the Colorblind Stance

Even if you are truly color-blind (in a medical sense), you are still able to see race. Imagine if someone said to you that they were gender-blind. This means they see no difference between the experiences of different gender identities. Those differences in experiences exist whether they are seen or not. Pretending that we don’t see race also says that we are pretending that people of color were/are never discriminated against, which is invalidating. Claiming to be colorblind is invalidating to people of color because it denies part of their identity. If you are having a hard time explaining this to someone in your schools, check out (or direct them to check out) the resources in the image gallery below.

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Have friendships with people who are different from you…

…different in race, sexual orientation, culture, first language, religion, economic class, upbringing, etc. The more people you surround yourself with who are different from you, the more you are forced to think outside of your own experiences (Allport, 1954). If where you live does not present many opportunities to interact with people different from you, use the internet. SSWNetwork is a great forum for interacting with other school social workers around the world!

Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Cambridge/Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

2. Build a Foundation of Awareness

Very early on in our social work training, we learn the importance of “putting our mask on first before attempting to help others”. Similarly: Before we can start moving our schools toward racial justice, we must first build self-awareness around our own biases.

Explore potential biases your brain might be relying upon

Start by exploring your own social identity and understanding the context in which your identities were formed. Completing the Social Identity Wheel activity can be a great way to understand which of your various identities are privileged in society. Then, the Mapping Social Identity activity helps you to create a timeline that highlights at which ages you may have learned certain lessons about your identities and the identities of others.

After admitting that growing up in this country conditioned our brains to pair (either consciously or subconsciously) people of color with poverty, violence, and criminality, we must learn how to prevent our brain from relying on these automatic associations. Our brains are most likely to rely on these associations during times of heightened stress, fatigue, and fear (James, 2018; Johnson, Hickey, Switzer, Miller, Winger, Nguyen, Saladino, & Hausmann, 2016). Once you know what categorizations your brain will rely on during vulnerable times (e.g. under stress and fatigue), you can make efforts to prevent those biases from impacting your decisions and behaviors.

James, L. (2018). The stability of implicit racial bias in police officers. Police Quarterly, 21(1), 30-52. doi: 10.1177/1098611117732974

Johnson, T. J., Hickey, R. W., Switzer, G. E., Miller, E., Winger, D. G., Nguyen, M., Saladino, R. A., & Hausmann, L. R. M. (2016). The impact of cognitive stressors in the emergency department on physician implicit racial bias. Academic Emergency Medicine, 23, 297-305. doi:10.1111/acem.12901

Take time to think about situations…

…in the past in which your brain may have made assumptions based on conditioned biases. Think about thoughts you’ve had or assumptions you’ve made and ask yourself, “what proof do I have of that?” and “where might that assumption have come from?”, “what was my state of mind when I made that assumption?” DO THIS REGULARLY!

When thinking about past situations, sit with any guilt or discomfort that arises

Make room for it. Don’t avoid it or push it away. By avoiding this discomfort, we cannot work toward preventing our biases from becoming prejudice or discrimination (DiAngelo, R. 2018). Your brain having such biases may not be your fault but it IS your responsibility to monitor and manage it to prevent it from turning into biased comments, decisions, or behaviors. If we are too fragile to accept the discomfort and move through it, we can never truly be allies. Communities of color DESERVE our support.

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for White people to talk about racism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Have you developed meta-cognition yet?

Meta-cognition is the ability to “think about” our thoughts as we are having them. Without meta-cognition, we cannot challenge the biases our brains developed nor can we prevent our behavior from being impacted by such biases (Wegener, Silva, Petty, & Garcia-Marques, 2012). Remember; the brain likes efficiency. It does not want to make decisions slowly but, WE HAVE TO SLOW IT DOWN to have any chance of detecting bias and changing our course of action accordingly (Fazio & Towles-Schwen, 1999). This is achieved by developing a practice of pausing. When we are faced with a situation in which we will be making an assessment and coming to a conclusion that will direct our behavior, insert a pause whenever possible. Building a practice of mindfulness, in general, can be extremely beneficial in helping to gain more control of our brain’s auto-pilot processes. Coincidentally, mindfulness and meditation are a great way to manage that end-of-the-day crushing feeling of “all I did today was put out fires but there was so much more I needed/wanted to do”. Below are some good apps to start building a practice of mindfulness.

Fazio, R. H., & Towles-Schwen, T. (1999). The MODE model of attitude-behavior processes. In Chaiken, S., & Trope, Y. (Eds), Dual process theories in social psychology (pp.97-116). New York: Guilford.

Wegener, D. T., Silva, P. P., Petty, R. E., & Garcia-Marques, T. (2012). The metacognition of bias regulation. In P. Briñol & K. G. DeMarree (Eds.), Social Metacognition (pp. 81-99). New York/London: Psychology Press (Taylor & Francis Group).

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With a more solid foundation of knowledge, self-awareness, and mindfulness, we can start molding our behaviors toward anti-racist practices.

3. Use your foundation of awareness to make changes to your behaviors

The very first step is to start that practice of pausing when making decisions. In practice, inserting a pause looks like:

a. Take in information about the situation. PAUSE. Ask yourself – Do I have all the information…is anyone’s point of view left out? Don’t move forward until you have as much information as possible in the time you have. If you feel like someone’s point of view is left out and you don’t have enough time to get it, ask for more time. Just because someone else isn’t pausing to think, doesn’t mean you don’t have to. If someone (even your principal) is demanding an assessment, decision, or action before you have all the info, explain why it’s imperative to take your time (or give them this article!).

b. Make your best judgment about the situation. PAUSE. Ask – “HOW are my own beliefs and experiences influencing this judgment”? They are! If our own experiences were not influencing our judgments, we would be robots and we are not robots!

c. Try to see the situation from the point of view of someone who has not had your life experiences or you can ask someone directly what they think– someone who may think differently from you, who is NOT a part of the situation. In making discipline decisions at school, some school staff is faced with a student suggesting that they are being racially targeted. I have seen situations in which the student’s concern is discounted because “they are just trying to get out of it” and I have seen situations in which that student’s concern is listened to and discussed openly. These two situations end VERY differently. Understanding students’ viewpoints and asking for their thoughts on any potential outcomes or solutions can be extremely beneficial for not just that specific situation but for the culture of the school as a whole. Not only will that student feel heard and respected (which are necessary components of all collaborative relationships) but, you are challenging yourself to think differently and this practice can be contagious (in a positive way).

d. Come to a conclusion about the best course of action. PAUSE. Consider the consequences (both positive and negative). What messages (direct and indirect) might this send to the student/family or to others outside of the situation? How would I feel if my decision was reported to the media? Would I feel confident in defending my decision?

In talking openly WITH (rather than AT) others about a decision you’ve made, the open dialogue that allows the other person to be heard can serve to dispel any misconceptions or assumptions about your reasoning. Likewise, if you are well-rested and not overwhelmed with stress (and therefore your brain is less likely to rely on its automatic categorization system), take opportunities (or make them!) to talk about race and decision making.

Don’t be afraid to talk about race

Many of us (of all races) have a hard time talking about race. Our discomfort leads us to choose silence but, just like in dysfunctional family systems, silence perpetuates the dysfunction. Believe it or not, your students want to talk about it. Your families want to know that you see race. If you don’t see race, you don’t see them and you cannot truly work WITH them nor advocate for them when they need it. Validating their experiences goes a long way. Racial silence cannot continue if we have any hope of dismantling systemic racial oppression.

One family I worked with told me that they never had a conversation about race with a White person.

But be careful…

When talking about race with people who are different from you, recognize that they are the expert on their racial experience. No matter how many people of that race you have worked with, you do not fully understand their racial experience – so refrain from “whitesplaining” and listen at least as often as you speak.

Finally, although they are the expert on their own racial experience, DO NOT ask people of color to speak on behalf of their race. Many of you (hopefully) are saying “Of course not!” but I feel the need to state it because I have actually seen it happen (and yes – by social workers). Although surprising at the time, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes when our brains are not working at full capacity. I myself have said some pretty dumb things that in retrospect, I cringe when thinking about!

To show you just how vulnerable we ALL are to acting in racially biased ways, here’s the story of my most public mess-up…

I was taking a class on “teaching and learning in a multicultural and global society”. I had pulled an all-nighter to finish preparing my presentation about how racial bias against Native Americans shows up in K-12 classrooms. I was explaining the concept of microaggressions (subtle and often unintentional statements or behaviors that highlight the “other” status of a person from a historically marginalized group (Sue et al., 2007) and perceived confusion from the audience. I noticed myself getting nervous (meta-cognition!), which made me more nervous…and I started thinking, “I’ve got to make this more concrete”.

So, in my sleep-deprived state, the idea I arrived at, was to use my friend in the class (a woman of color) in an example. Now, hopefully, you’re thinking “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!!!”. If you’re not, that’s ok- I also did not realize this blunder until our group returned to our seats and our professor started to give her feedback (in front of the class). She said something along the lines of “…the information about microaggressions was great and the topic is very important but it looked like there was a bit of a microaggression when you called out your friend in the audience.” I… was… MORTIFIED!

I could not believe that I, someone who is building a career on encouraging people to build self-awareness around their biases so they can prevent biased actions, could make such a mistake.

To be honest, after that experience (in my sleep-deprived state) I seriously reconsidered my career path! But after humbly apologizing to my friend (the woman I called out during my presentation) and talking/thinking through it further, I realized that I’m asking White people to take that same risk in talking openly about systemic racism and then, to respond humbly when they make a mistake. I immediately wondered “How on earth am I going to convince people to take those risks?!” The answer is; by practicing what I preach and reassuring others that the end result is worth it. My professor pointing out my misstep was one of the most valuable (albeit worst-feeling) learning experiences I have had in my educational journey to-date. Her honesty and willingness to challenge me are exactly what I needed to continue to improve as I move forward in this work.

Since then, as a member of my candidacy exam committee, she has challenged me to think deeper and even more critically than I thought I could and I expect she will do the same as a member of my dissertation committee. So my advice here is: As you take those bold risks in challenging systemic racism, try not to be defensive when someone challenges you because it might turn out to be the most fruitful learning experience you’ll have. Although I wish my “learning experience” did not have to make a friend uncomfortable in the process, I will never make that mistake again and neither will my classmates who were present that day.

Expand the practice of challenging yourself, to your colleagues…

…but, do so strategically. Challenging someone (especially about racial bias) can spark defensiveness so sometimes it is productive to do so in private so they are more likely to process rather than defend. On the contrary, there are times when holding someone accountable in the presence of others is appropriate and even important (like my professor holding me accountable in class!). The Kirwin Institute has great training (below) on how to be an active bystander that is free!

How to challenge

Our clinical skills can really help us here. We know that if someone might become defensive or shut down from a confrontation, asking questions is the unlocked back door: “What led you to that conclusion”, “Help me understand your thinking”, “Hmm, I wonder if….”. Coming from a stance of wanting to understand their logic can sometimes be more effective than direct confrontation.

De-center yourself

If you are participating in protests or other forms of direct-advocacy, let the voices of Black and Brown people be heard – do not speak over them.

In my work with families of color in schools, I learned many times that my voice (as a social worker and as a White woman) did not need to be the loudest and in some cases, it didn’t need to be heard at all. Many families and students were already very effective in advocating for themselves and many more just needed some encouragement, support, and the right resources. To be an ally means to stand WITH, not in front. Although it feels good to be the catalyst for racially just outcomes, nothing compares to how it feels to see an empowered mother’s efforts to advocate for her family’s best interests be rewarded. Because THAT is the system of racism unraveling before your eyes.

Build strategic alliances

The reality is that you very well may not have the power to change the entire system by yourself. But, the power of the social networks between school staff is immense. So, bust out your old family systems and organizational behavior textbooks and brush up on systems dynamics. Start paying attention to the dynamics within your school buildings: Who is aligned with whom? Who are in positions of power and who influences them? Who are in positions to influence the most people? All of these questions can help you think strategically about how you might start to influence the entire system – one alliance at a time. Below is a great book about how social networks in schools can be leveraged to bring about change.

Go forth in solidarity.

As social workers, it is our ethical obligation to challenge systems of oppression – but this shouldn’t stop at the end of our workday. As human beings and members of a truly multicultural and global society, it is imperative that we aim to recognize and validate the experiences of those who may be different from us. We must also admit that our experiences (as White people) have been centered as the norm and as a result, others’ lived experiences have been marginalized. As social workers, this may be obvious but I challenge you to really do the work of understanding your own positionality, how that positionality came to be, and how it might influence how you interact with others. Doing this for yourself (if you haven’t already), also puts you in a position to empower others, who might not have the same values, to do the same.

Though you may be the only school social worker in your schools or district and feel like you can’t possibly go up against the larger system of oppression, YOU CAN.

You were trained to do exactly that – one small private conversation, one small act of modeling, one small challenge at a time. Don’t let the fear of social retribution for your anti-racist practices deter you. You may not individually have the power to directly impact every single individual in your schools BUT, you do have the power to influence the system through the strategic alliances that you build within it.

If you want to read more in preparation for helping your schools dismantle racism, here are several books that I recommend (in addition to those highlighted throughout the text above).

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