Critical Race Theory and Social Work – Laura S. Abrams, MSW, PhD and Nicole Vazquez, MSW, MPP

Episode 37
Guests: Laura S. Abrams, MSW, PhD; Nicole Vazquez, MSW, MPP
Host: Shimon Cohen, LCSW

Dr. Laura Abrams, Chair and Professor of Social Welfare at UCLA, and Nicole Vazquez, a critical race scholar and consultant, discuss the foundations and application of critical race theory (CRT) in social work. They explore key CRT tenets—including the social construction of race, everyday racism, interest convergence, and counter-narratives—and how these ideas challenge white supremacist culture and liberal myths like meritocracy and colorblindness. The conversation highlights CRT's alignment with social work's social justice mission and offers guidance for educators, students, and practitioners seeking to implement it in their work. This episode is a powerful call to interrogate dominant narratives and build more liberatory, equity-driven approaches in social work.

In this episode:

• The history of CRT and the legal scholars who developed it
• Core CRT tenets — race as a social construct, everyday racism, colorblindness, interest convergence, and counter-narratives
• How white supremacist culture strips communities of color from collective and community-based ways of being
• CRT's fit with social work's social justice mission
• How educators, students, and practitioners can implement CRT in their work and programs

Laura
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/laura-abrams-a3336553

Nicole
Instagram amoradelante

Stay In The Know | Join the Email List
https://dointhework.com/listen

Explore Continuing Education Courses
https://dointhework.com/courses

Podcast Episode Pages + Transcripts
https://dointhework.com/podcast

 

Music credit
"District Four" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/