Reckoning with Social Work’s History: Addressing Implicit Bias and Advancing Anti-Oppressive Education

Presenter(s)

Kenyette S. Garrett, LCSW (she/her/hers)

PhD Candidate/Graduate Research Assistant
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Travis Albritton, PhD

Associate Dean for Student Success and Belonging, Clinical Professor
UNC Chapel Hill - School of Social Work
Amanda S. Fackler, PhD, LCSW

Assistant Professor of Social Work
University of North Dakota

This session examines social work’s historical and contemporary roles in reinforcing systemic inequities, explores the influence of implicit bias on practice and policy, and underscores the necessity of anti-oppressive frameworks. Participants will gain strategies to critically integrate these approaches into social work education, professional practice, and institutional decision-making.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

Upon completion, the participant will be able to describe and discuss social work's historical role in perpetuating systemic inequities and identify historical patterns of control and surveillance in social work.
Upon completion, the participant will be able to define implicit bias, its impact on practice, and strategies for advancing equity.
Upon completion, the participant will be able to evaluate strategies for integrating anti-oppressive frameworks into social work education.