Envisioning an Antiracist Profession

Abstract

Abstract As a social justice profession, social work is uniquely positioned to contribute to racial reckoning and antiracism. Yet, social work literature remains colorblind. Two social work critical race scholars of color engaged in a qualitative content analysis of four peer-reviewed social work journals’ articles published from 2015 to 2020 to inquire, “How is social work research addressing race and racism after twenty-five years of marginalization in the literature?” Critical race theory tenets were analytical constructs for this content analysis. Findings suggest that while social work journals with missions to address social justice and innovation show an increase in publishing on race and racism, the prominent journal advising social work education lagged in its number of published articles addressing critical social issues affecting Black, Indigenous, and people of color. These findings suggest the time is now for social work to embody its charge of promoting social justice by beginning its transformation from within.