Structural Racism and Social Work: Disrupting the Web of Systemic Inequality - Lunch & Learn

Structural Racism and Social Work: Disrupting the Web of Systemic Inequity – Lunch & Learn

Date: Monday, August 17, 2026

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET

Presenters: Luanda Johnson, LCSW-C, and Patricia Roberts-Rose, LCSW-C

CEUs: 1 Category I in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice (Structural Racism)

Cost: $15 for NASW Members | $25 for Non-Members | $10 for Retired Members | Free for Student Members

Please Note: This workshop fulfills the Maryland BSWE's requirement in Structural Racism.

Description:

This workshop is designed for social work professionals to examine structural racism through a social work lens, emphasizing how mutually reinforcing systems—such as housing, education, employment, health care, criminal justice, and public benefits—create and sustain barriers to client well-being and self-determination.

The session frames clients and families as situated within a broader “web” of social systems rather than as isolated cases. Participants will explore how inequities across systems interact to produce recurring crises in areas such as child welfare involvement, housing instability, financial stress, and mental health challenges.

The presentation integrates applied examples and interactive activities, including case mapping and policy-focused discussions, to help participants identify intervention points at both the micro and macro levels. The session concludes by reinforcing social workers' ethical responsibility to move beyond temporary fixes and actively engage in efforts to disrupt and redesign systems that perpetuate racial inequity.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Define structural racism according to Maryland statutory standards and the NASW Code of Ethics.

2. Analyze how the nine reinforcing systems (housing, criminal justice, etc.) create barriers to client self-determination.

3. Identify specific intersections where social work intervention can disrupt systemic cycles.

4. Apply a structural lens to case management and macro-level advocacy.

Course Information

• Course Number: MD20260817

• Original Program Date: August 17, 2026

• Duration: 1 hour

• Credit(s): 1 CEU

• Access: Available for 5 months after the event date.

Register here.