Equity & Inclusion Committee

BUSSW has one of the longest-running Equity & Inclusion Committees in the country; it’s been a part of the School of Social Work for over 20 years.  The group has led important introspective activities at the School, including:

Social Justice Learning Communities

In 2018–2019, close to 100 BUSSW faculty, staff, and administrators participated in an internal initiative to improve our teaching and learning around racial and social justice. The cohorts had three primary goals:

  1. To offer education and training around racial / social justice to all members of our BUSSW community
  2. To develop shared organizational language, analytic frameworks, and practice around racial / social justice as applied to social work education
  3. To apply our shared framework and language to our relationships with all members of the BUSSW community, with the aim of further improving our instruction and classroom learning environments.

During the first year, each cohort met monthly for 90-minute sessions to discuss and apply learning materials to current challenges at our School and in their personal lives. The project expanded to include ongoing cohort sessions for:

  • Faculty
  • Part-time lecturers
  • Off-campus and online advisors
  • Facilitators
  • Staff and administrators

Our hope is that undergoing and continuing this process together will build collective understanding, helping us to communicate clearly with one another, develop and analyze strategies for improvement, and identify points of unity and difference.

Colloquium

A school-wide event was held in Fall 2019 to examine the Smith College School of Social Work’s 25-Year Antiracism Commitment:

  • What does it mean, how has it been experienced, and what can BUSSW learn from this? 
Dean Names Inaugural Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion

With the appointment of the inaugural associate dean of Equity and Inclusion in July 2020, the committee began a series of important initiatives including developing a transformative justice process for the BUSSW community and creating a 5-year plan for addressing Equity & Inclusion at the School.

Social Justice Learning Labs
  • Monthly lunch and case consultations open to all faculty, staff and administration with student participation. Participants are encouraged to bring issues/questions relating to social justice in their classrooms and throughout the broader BUSSW community. The labs are an opportunity to apply the knowledge we are gaining to real situations that can deepen our shared commitment to this work.
Social Justice In and Out of BUSSW
  • A new committee that highlights social justice events in the larger community including housing, healthcare, police brutality.  
  • Faculty received a grant to review/update all foundation year syllabi for social justice content.  The project included input from students who were hired to assist department chairs with updates to improve syllabi and incorporate relevant social justice content informed by the review.
Social Justice Circles
  • These sessions are open to all members of the BUSSW community.
Monthly Field Education Liberation Health Seminars
  • Begun in Fall 2020

Learn more about E&I initiatives at BUSSW here.

E&I Speaker Series

Our committee sponsors the Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series, which produces free, public, virtual events on topics related to social justice, equity and inclusion, and social work. Watch past recordings or register for an upcoming speaker series event by clicking the button below.

Learn More