I believe in transparency, and one of the things I share with students is the difference between implicit and explicit curriculum in social work education. As this is a data collection year-of-record for the Council on Social Work Education re-affirmation process, I am focused on implicit curriculum in my role as director of equity. The implicit curriculum refers to all of the many ways we continue to communicate and educate our profession’s values and principles.
To bring more programming and provide more opportunities to connect real-world professionals with our students, I created a Spotlight Speaker Series that launched in late February. Once a month or so I interview someone who is working to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in the world with an anti-racist lens. My first guest was Edith Guffey, chair of the board of PFLAG National. PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) is the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. Edith shared that her MSW in administration was instrumental in preparing her to lead a large organization focused on advocacy and rights.
My next guests are Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), who will be speaking about pay equity among other concerns, on March 31.
On April 7, I will be speaking with Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund, author of Blessed Minds: Breaking the Silence about Neurodiversity. Lund also serves as the United Church of Christ’s minister for disabilities and mental health justice at the national level. While her work is often set in the context of religious community, she knows how to translate that knowledge to a social services and helping professions setting with aplomb.
I sincerely hope you are able to join us. If not, a library of these recorded conversations will soon be available on YouTube and can serve as a repository of advocacy recommendations and resources for assignments, as well as general awareness and enrichment.