Racial Justice Advocacy

Abstract

This exploratory case study examined how participation in virtual racial justice advocacy initiatives influenced social work students’ perceived confidence, commitment, and engagement. Guided by Transformative Learning Theory, the study applied quantitative methods using pre- and post-surveys with 135 BSW and MSW students. Students participated in a school-wide initiative, either in a Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) webinar series or a student-led virtual small group project. Results demonstrated significant increases in students’ perceived confidence across several advocacy-related tasks. Specifically, students showed increased engagement in racial dialogue, particularly across lines of racial difference, while maintaining high levels of commitment. Notably, confidence in critically analyzing race and power at work increased from M = 6.63 (SD = 2.46) to M = 7.39 (SD = 2.26), p < .001, and confidence in making space for bold conversations rose from M = 6.79 (SD = 2.48) to M = 7.50 (SD = 2.22), p < .001. Students also showed increased readiness to lead racial dialogues across groups (p = .003) and a significant gain in commitment to lead advocacy efforts (p = .027). These findings highlight how virtual advocacy initiatives can advance social work education by strengthening macro-level competencies, particularly as online social work degree programs expand.