In My Own House: Experiencing Racism and Discrimination as a Black Academic in a School of Social Work

Abstract

Schools of social work often postulate that they are rooted in social justice and affirmed in the values and ethics of the social work profession. However, the lived experience of being a Black social work educator is oftentimes inclusive of working within an oppressive and toxic work environment, that is also a school of social work. My reflection describes the discriminatory practices exhibited in a school of social work faced by me as a Black social work educator and researcher within a research one institution. These experiences of discrimination include excessive critique, microaggressions, microinsults, and microinvalidations from senior colleagues, as well as a lack of action taken to address these discriminatory practices by administrators within the school. This piece identifies how emotionally overwhelming and mentally exhausting being a Black academic within a school of social work can be when colleagues and administrators demonstrate the actions of the oppressor.