Future of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Social Work

This book explores how social work can navigate and shape the rapidly evolving dynamics of race, ethnicity, and culture. At a time when national debates and global changes are intensifying, this book provides a much-needed intellectual space to critically examine the current landscape and envision a future that aligns with social work’s core values of justice, equity, and inclusion.

Through a collection of thought-provoking chapters, the book delves into the challenges and opportunities that race, ethnicity, and culture present for social work practice, research, and education. Each chapter offers a reflective and critical appraisal of the present while proposing creative, preventive, and innovative solutions to promote racial and social justice. The authors encourage readers to embrace future thinking—an equity-centered, proactive approach that empowers us to co-create a more just and inclusive world rather than passively accept one dictated by external forces.

This book is an essential resource for students, social work practitioners, educators, and researchers interested in racial and social justice, cultural competence, equity-centered practice, and innovative approaches to social work education.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work.

Mo Yee Lee is Professor and PhD Program Director, College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Ohio, USA. She is editor of the Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work since 2007, president of The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work from 2019 to 2021, and recipient of the 2022 GADE Faculty Educational Leadership Award.

Jerome H. Schiele is Professor and Chair of PhD/DSW Department, Morgan State University, Maryland, USA. His research expertise is oppression studies, social welfare history, policy analysis, and social work education. He served on the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work’s Board of Directors from 2021 to 2024, and he has served on the Editorial Boards of major social work journals.

Michael S. Spencer (Kānaka Maoli) is the Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work and a Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, Washington, USA. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative and co-leads two critical Grand Challenges: Close the Health Gap and Eliminate Racism. A dedicated leader and scholar, Spencer’s work focuses on advancing equity, addressing systemic racism, and promoting health and social justice through innovative research, education, and advocacy.