A course on
race Work
Race Work is a deeply rooted tradition of Black people helping Black people through culturally grounded, community-centered practices aimed at racial uplift. It is not simply about service provision—it is a radical, love-based strategy for survival, healing, and liberation in the face of systemic oppression. The stories, methods, and philosophies of Black-led, African-centered human service professionals have long been ignored or distorted within mainstream education.
About Race work
This course is designed to correct that erasure by centering Black voices, experiences, and knowledge traditions in ways that are essential for understanding how to meet the needs of Black communities on their own terms. The space is intentionally curated for Black participants because it prioritizes internal dialogue, cultural affirmation, and collective healing without the burden of translation or explanation.
This course will explore the contributions, narratives and application of Race Work. The contributions of race workers have been marginalized or omitted altogether from mainstream education, hindering a comprehensive understanding of how Black-lead, African-centered human service professionals successfully practice racial uplift.
Course Focus
The course isn't about how to help Black communities from the outside, but how Black people can help ourselves and each other by building on our own traditions, strengths, and systems of care.
Legacy Reclamation: The focus is on reclaiming and reconnecting with ancestral strategies, knowledge, and leadership that are rooted in Black experiences and survival—not adapted or filtered through non-Black frameworks.
Peer-Led Growth & Solidarity: Participants build solidarity through shared lived experiences, which creates a more effective environment for truth-telling, healing, and collective strategizing.
Background
Race work pioneers have played a pivotal role in social justice, community development, and advocacy. While there is an emerging body of literature that explores their stories and accomplishments little to no attention is given to the strategies and practices that they used that could prove useful for us today.
Instead their contributions have often been overshadowed by a Eurocentric perspective, limiting the understanding and importance of Black Human Service Professionals. Deconstructing the narratives of Black race work pioneers is crucial for understanding where Black people have been, what worked, what didn’t work and what tools, techniques and practices can support moving us forward.
this Course Is for
Aspiring or Current Black Human Service Professionals Individuals seeking to learn about and reclaim the legacy, strategies, and contributions of Black-led, African-centered service work.
Professionals in Advocacy, Policy, and Community Development Black people engaged in social justice, grassroots organizing, or public policy who want to integrate historical Black race work strategies into their current practice.
Students and Activists Interested in Historical and Contemporary Black Liberation Movements Individuals passionate about learning from past Black leaders and community workers to inform present and future activism.
Learning Objectives
Implement Race Work Strategies in Practice Utilize practical tools, methods, and frameworks developed by Black Race Workers to respond to real-world issues in community care, organizing, and advocacy.
Strengthen Your Racially Conscious Practice Develop and implement a self-determined, culturally affirming approach to your work as a Black human service professional through deep reflection and strategic planning.
Investigate and Connect with the Legacy of Race Work Examine key historical and contemporary Black-led, African-centered movements and figures, and draw connections between their strategies and today’s human service challenges.
Challenge and Replace Eurocentric Models Critically assess dominant human service frameworks that marginalize Black contributions, and actively integrate Black knowledge traditions as essential tools for racial justice and community transformation.
