This piece offers critical perspectives on social work education research, evaluation, and practice, emphasizing the importance of centering the lived experiences, practice wisdom, and expertise of historically marginalized voices—particularly Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC)—within predominantly white institutions (PWIs). The experience of two BIWOC scholars in the role of consultants for a social work program serves as backdrop to a critical analysis of initiatives in social work higher education looking to align with the integration of Anti-Racist, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in the 2022 EPAS. Grounded in the profession’s commitment to social justice, this piece emphasizes the imperative for institutional reflexivity and innovative pedagogical approaches in anti-racist curricular development and evaluation that challenge dominant knowledge systems through epistemic disobedience. We offer reflections, invitations and practical strategies on cultivating collaborative and engaged learning communities in times of institutional crisis via the Soulcial Work Praxis framework (SWP). SWP offers useful guideposts for students, educators, researchers, and practitioners dedicated to advancing liberatory teaching-learning methods within the context and constraints of a higher education system built on racial-settler colonial legacies and urgently grappling with the rise of neoliberal capitalism and fascism.
Honoring women of color practice wisdom as epistemic disobedience within methods for social work education research
Journal of Teaching in Social Work [Epub 2025 Nov 26]. doi: 10.1080/08841233.2025.2593661.