COVID-19 and Structural Racial Inequity: Lessons Learned for Social Work Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines how structural racism amplified the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 for African American, Asian/Asian American, and Latino/a/x and Hispanic social work students during the unplanned transition to synchronous and asynchronous education at three social work programs across the United States, creating additional educational barriers. The aim of the article is three-fold. First, centering Critical Race Theory, it discusses the experience of African Americans, Asian/Asian American, and Latino/a/x and Hispanic students at three different institutions across the country. Second, it highlights the structural challenges faced by social work students of historically, racially and ethnically oppressed communities and the lessons learned from the social work programs’ pandemic response. Third, social work faculty lessons learned suggest to better meet the needs of historically, racially and ethnically oppressed social work students; and, the integration of Critical Race Theory to diminish the effects of structural racism in social work programs’ future educational plans in response to COVID-19, or a similar health crisis.