Abolishing Whiteness

Michele D Hanna,Barbara Garza,Heather Arnold-Renicker

doi:10.18060/24484

Abstract

The power, privilege, and oppression paradigm that most schools of social work currently espouse to are often taught through an experiential approach to whiteness, privileging the majority of white students with the opportunity to explore their white identity at the expense of the learning of the Black/Brown, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students in the classroom. Many BIPOC students experience these courses as a hostile environment, finding themselves and their racial group identified in contrast to whiteness – oppressed, marginalized, silenced, and powerless. This paper presents an innovative course outline using Critical Race Theory and Critical White Studies as theoretical frameworks to decenter whiteness and attend to the learning needs of BIPOC students. Using these two theoretical frameworks, students will learn the history of the racial hierarchy of humans; the social construction of whiteness, the evolution of anti-black racism and the extension to other people of color; and the relationship between white supremacy and racism.

Highlights

A Racial AwakeningThe death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 at the hand of the police sparked unprecedented outrage and protests against racial injustice from people of all races, all over the world
The power, privilege, and oppression paradigm that most schools of social work currently espouse to are often taught through an experiential approach to whiteness, privileging the majority of white students with the opportunity to explore their white identity at the expense of the learning of the Black/Brown, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students in the classroom
By late summer 2020 data indicated that BIPOC were between 1.1 and 2.8 times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 – Asian persons (1.1x); Black persons (2.6x); Latinx persons (2.8x) and Indigenous persons (2.8x) - than White persons (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020)

Summary

A Racial Awakening

The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 at the hand of the police sparked unprecedented outrage and protests against racial injustice from people of all races, all over the world. The power, privilege, and oppression paradigm many schools of social work currently espouse to is rooted in the idea that in the U.S there is a socially constructed racial hierarchy that places White people at the top and Black people at the bottom with other people of color in betwixt (Lopez, 2013) This socially constructed hierarchy creates a culture of systemic and institutional racism rooted in white supremacy. In the current political context of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, The March for Our Lives, The Women’s March, #MeToo, etcetera, social work has again shifted a focus on race and anti-racist practice This time, intersectionality is at the forefront – recognizing that we are all complex individuals with multiple, overlapping identities. Delgado & Stefancic (2017); Messer et al (2018); Middleton et al (2016); Zucchino (2020)

6: Contemporary Application

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion