Overview of ADEI

Defining Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion To promote a culture of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) social work practitioners must actively utilize appropriate strategies that lend to dismantling oppressive practices and injustices in the work with clients. Social work practice is grounded in the purpose and core values of the social work profession and informed by Capella’s social work program. Social, racial, economic, and environmental justice; human rights; and elimination of poverty are key to achieving social work’s purpose to promote human and community well-being. Framed by an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective, social justice and human rights are among the core key values of social work. As learners in this program, you will engage in learning and applying anti-racist and anti-oppressive strategies that lend to engaging in an ADEI framework.

Definitions

Anti-Racism Anti-racism is an active way of seeing and being in the world, in order to transform it. Because racism occurs at all levels and spheres of society and can function to produce and maintain exclusionary “levels” and “spheres,” anti-racism education/activism is necessary in all aspects of society. It does not happen exclusively in the workplace, in the classroom, or in selected aspects of our lives. Anti-racism theory analyzes/critiques racism and how it operates, which provides us with a basis for taking action to dismantle and eliminate it (Henry et al., 2000).

Diversity Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued. A broad definition includes not only race, ethnicity, and gender—the groups that most often come to mind when the term “diversity” is used—but also age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance.

Equity To treat everyone fairly. An equity emphasis seeks to render justice by deeply considering structural factors that benefit some social groups/communities and harm other social groups/communities. Sometimes justice demands, for the purpose of equity, an unequal response.

Inclusion

Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power.

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Intersectionality Intersectionality is simply a prism to see the interactive effects of various forms of discrimination and disempowerment. It looks at the way that racism, many times, interacts with patriarchy, heterosexism, classism, xenophobia—seeing that the overlapping vulnerabilities created by these systems actually create specific kinds of challenges (Guobadia, 2018).

References Guobadia, O. (2018). Kimberlé Crenshaw and Lady Phyll talk intersectionality, solidarity, and self-care. Them. https://www.them.us/story/kimberle-crenshaw-lady-phyll-intersectionality

Henry, F., Tator, C., Mattis, W., & Rees, T. (2000). The colour of democracy. Racism in Canadian Society.

UC Berkeley Center for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. (n.d.). Glossary of key terms. https://haas.berkeley.edu/equity/industry/efl-knowledge-bank/glossary-of-key-terms/

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