Skip to main content
CSWE Annual Conference 2025 Main banner

Paper Presentation

Immigrants, Refugees, and Displaced Populations

Session: Centering Black Immigrant Voices: Advancing Racial Equity and Mental Health Justice in Social Work

Undocu-Black: Considerations of Critical Race Theory and Mental Health for Undocumented Black Migrants

Black undocumented immigrants, or “UndocuBlack” individuals, face compounded health disparities due to push factors from their native countries and racial and policy marginalization in the U.S. Using Critical Race Theory(CRT), this review highlights key considerations for clinicians and educators, including racial positioning, cultural competence vs. humility, isolation, and legal liminality.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:
  1. Explore how race and immigration status intersect to shape mental health disparities using a Critical Race Theory framework.
  2. Distinguish between cultural competence and cultural humility in addressing the unique needs of Black undocumented immigrants in clinical and educational settings.
  3. Analyze the effects of isolation and legal liminality on mental health while identifying effective support strategies.