Critical Race Theory in The Steve Hicks School of Social Work

The challenge this project addressed was the enhancement of curriculum at the Steve Hicks School of Social
Work (SHSSW). Social Work is centered in principles from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Code of Ethics which includes a strong and clear commitment to working toward social justice and to dismantle
systemic barriers that keep all people from liberation and wellness. It was hoped that Critical Race theory (CRT)
would enhance our curriculum and provide an additional tool to meet our equity and inclusion mandates to
challenge inequitable systems in our profession. Some of the faculty and staff were led to CRT as the framework
to include in our bachelor’s in social work (BSW) and Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) curriculum
because students were also questioning how to challenge unchecked power and oppression. CRT is “a set of
ideas that explains what racism is, how it functions in our society, the emotional and psychological experiences
of being subjected to racism, and the factors that contribute to the manifestation of racism.” (Valdes et
al. 2002). The aim of CRT was to provide more tools to “analyze, deconstruct, and transform power by using
race as its point of engagement” (Delgado & Stefanic, 2017).