Friday, March 31, 2017

School of Social Work lecturer Scott Winn is presenting Leading with a Racial Equity Lens for Structural Transformation, sponsored by the School's Diversity & Equity Council. Through exercises, discussions and presentations, participants will strengthen their knowledge of strategies and tools to achieve racial equity.

The session will explore a framework for racial justice efforts that moves beyond merely valuing racial diversity to creating racial equity. Scott will facilitate a discussion on how leading with a racial equity lens is an essential part of a strategy for structural transformation to create equity for all. Here are some key topics to be covered:

  • Exploring our own positions of advantage and disadvantage: how these impact our lived experiences and the communities we serve—and the importance of an intersectionality lens.
  • Discussing the differing ways to relate to differences: comparing colorblindness, diversity, culture competency and anti-oppression/equity lenses. 
  • Understanding the difference between equality and equity lenses.
  • Understanding the difference between transactional and transformational approaches to creating racial equity.
  • Showing how racial equity impact-assessment tools help analyze and transform policies and practices to support the achievement of racial equity.
  • Exploring differing roles for individual to enact to support the creation of racial equity.

Scott teaches courses centered on the role of social workers as agents for social and economic change. He is active with a variety of community-based groups including the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites and Western States Center. He is a policy and development lead for the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative. Scott supports institutions, organizations and movements to address racism, heterosexism, classism and other forms of oppression through trainings and strategic development.  

Join the discussion on Friday, April 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Room 305.  All students, faculty and staff are invited. A light lunch is provided. RSVP Mary Kaiser to attend.