African American History and Culture: Implications for Social Work

This course will examine the impact of previous historical events on the contemporary life of African Americans. The course will cover these historical events: slavery and the triangular trade, Jim Crow, lynchings, the great migration, Marcus Garvey and the New Negro movement, redlining and housing discrimination and the civil rights movement. The course will also investigate how these historical events negatively impact current African American life including: racial differences in wealth accumulation, the impact of racism on physical and mental health, racial socialization of children (“the talk”), discrimination and micro-aggressions, and the impact of mass incarceration on family life.