Statements

The School of Health and Applied Human Sciences supports UNCW's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recognize that it is our responsibility to ensure all our students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors feel safe, validated, and valued. We are committed to pursuing these aims through the provision of positive environments, both physical and virtual, in which to learn and work that are rich in academic pursuits, research and community outreach initiatives, philosophical perspectives, and cultural activities. Additionally, our school is committed to a curricular approach and interpersonal conduct that is free of racism, ageism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, ableism and other forms of stereotyping, bias, and discrimination.

Similar to UNCW’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusionour definition of diversity includes, but is not limited to variations in race, sex, gender, age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), creed, religious beliefs, ability status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, educational background, family status, socioeconomic circumstances, language, and other factors that differentially provide advantage and disadvantage across the life course. We acknowledge that simply stating such directives is insufficient to begin to address the historical and modern inequities reflected in our current world - actions must follow. As a unit, we seek to identify opportunities for meaningful change and support each individual engaging in personal and professional development to implement actions that move the School, as a whole, closer to the goal of equity.

February 9, 2021 - The events of police brutality against George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black Americans are steeped in historical patterns of individual and institutionalized racism. The School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina Wilmington stands in full solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We affirm our commitment as an anti-racist organization that is deeply devoted to racial and ethnic justice.

Consistent with the mission, values, and ethics of the social work profession, our aim is to contribute to the dismantling of practices, policies, structures, and traditions that emanate from and result in racial bias and discrimination. We take ownership of our responsibility to promote racial equity, empowerment, and justice through intentionality, consistency, and persistence.

With a focus on racial justice, we pledge to continually examine ourselves the institutions in which we work, our profession, and the communities in which we live. We acknowledge positive social change does not happen without continued critical self-reflection and values-based action. As such, the commitments outlined below will guide our immediate and future actions to become a truly anti-racist school of social work. 

Our Commitments: 

• We commit to congruence between our professional values and our actions in pursuit of racial justice. 
• We commit to centering diversity, inclusion, and racial equity in our work.
• We commit to bringing integrity and compassion to the necessary work of unpacking racial bias, White privilege, White supremacy, and institutionalized discrimination.   
• We commit to challenging the racist beliefs, policies, and social structures that promote discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. 
• We commit to collaboration and meaningful action in pursuing racial equity alongside our students, field instructors, local agencies, and communities.  
• We commit to the inclusion and amplification of Black voices across the curriculum, when teaching, conducting research, and co-creating the culture of our school.
• We commit to ongoing evaluation and continued improvement of our focus on racial justice issues, both in and outside of the classroom.  
• We commit to contributing to university-level initiatives to advance racial equity.