June 2, 2021
Unanimously supported by faculty vote August 2021
The Monmouth University School of Social Work denounces systems of racism and structural oppression that produce visible and invisible violence and allow hatred and horrific brutality to persist. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and other movements to end the dehumanization of people based on the color of their skin and to promote equitable and humane treatment for all people. Racism has been interwoven into U.S. systems and structures since enslavement and colonization, with longstanding consequences to Black, Indigenous and People of Color and their families and communities. We stand ready to advance the fight to promote equitable and humane treatment for all people as an expression of our ongoing commitment to human rights and social justice.
As social work professionals, it’s vital to acknowledge that all forms of racism—institutional, personally mediated and internalized—are real and present in social, economic, political, environmental, and health systems, adversely affecting Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Recognizing our dedication to social and human rights has not prioritized racism, we are committing to explicitly advance anti-racism in everything we do; from our school structures, policies, and practices to our curriculum, our relationships with alumni, community organizations and the wider community. We see white supremacy, the idea that whiteness is supreme over others, is present in our values as a nation, in our culture, in our ways of being, and even within the social work profession. Moving forward, we will ground our work in the essential components of anti-racism—listening, learning, reflection, discomfort, dialogue, and action.
We acknowledge that the current and historical practices of social work have produced racist outcomes that harm Black, Indigenous and People of Color and their families. Black, Indigenous and People of Color have made and continue to make academic, political and organizational contributions to the fight for social justice and human rights—yet, the profession has too frequently ignored or erased them. We pledge to remedy this by centering our knowledge base and modes of practice on the expertise and experiences of communities of color, and ensure that is reflected in our curriculum, school structures, policies and practices.
We commit to doing this work through an ongoing process of individual and collective education, discussion, and action. We will begin this work through creating faculty, student, alumni, field, and administrative spaces in which we can build authentic relationships through courageous conversations about race, racism, white supremacy and interlocking forms of oppression. We acknowledge that regardless of one’s own race or ethnicity, individuals are at various points along an anti-racist anti-oppressive journey. We believe that individual and collective growth are intertwined and best supported in an authentic community environment in which individual and collective accountability is honored to encourage learning, growth, and the implementation of our action plans.