Introducing the Racialized Reading List



Racially Inclusive Reading List 2022

Submission to The Social Lens: A Social Work Action Blog by the BSW Racialized Caucus

Over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year, the BSW Racialized Caucus raised concerns regarding the current coverage of race in the BSW program at UBC. One step to remedy this came in the form of a reading list that several of us worked on to provide resources for faculty to teach students about race. This reading list is intended to be utilized by faculty, administrators and students to educate themselves on complex topics of racialization that extend beyond the white-centric concepts currently studied such as white supremacy and whiteness. We need to be exposed to a broad range of content engaging with all forms of racialization. Included in our list are academic journal articles, books, local resources, and videos.

I encourage all faculty members to integrate at least one reading from this list into each of their upcoming syllabi – I have spent many hours reviewing this material and, as a racialized student, I believe they are relevant to student learning. It is our responsibility as academics in a social justice-oriented field to ensure that experiences of racialization are adequately discussed in our classrooms. Namely, given the high level of anti-Black racism, we must prioritize the addition of materials on the Black experience in Canada so we may interact with and advocate for and with Black clients in responsible ways. I ensured that there are readings relevant to every course in the Bachelor of Social Work program.

We hope that practitioners will find the list helpful as well and welcome feedback. Students are encouraged to look through this list and delve into anything of interest. If you have any inquiries at all or wish to discuss this further, please reach out to me (via sowk.program@ubc.ca).

Nicole Johal
Former Chair of the BSW Racialized Caucus

THE SOCIAL LENS: A SOCIAL WORK ACTION BLOG - The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the original author(s) and do not express the views of the UBC School of Social Work and/or the other contributors to the blog. The blog aims to uphold the School's values and mission.