oppression as well as the need for more intentionality on the part of school counselors. Much like its predecessors—multicultural and cross-cultural counseling—social justice counseling addresses cultural differences between the client and counselor, but it also emphasizes human rights, justice, and the most vulnerable populations. Addressing oppression in all forms is the focus of social justice counseling.
Similar to a social justice framework, an antiracist framework of school counseling is needed now more than ever to focus precisely on dismantling racist practices and policies in schools. Thus, I have revised the social justice framework to include antiracist principles, which means that issues of racism are intentionally addressed and not implied. The revised framework is based on the following assumptions about counseling:
The status quo in counseling practices and programs is characterized by an inequitable distribution of power and resources based on race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, ability, language, and so on.
Racism is embedded in the fabric of our schools and communities.
Racism influences our behavior and attitudes.
We as counselors (and our clients and students) have internalized racist attitudes, ideas, understandings, and patterns of thought that allow us to function in racist and oppressive systems.
Table 1.1 presents key elements of an antiracist framework of school counseling.
A note regarding the shift to a more antiracist approach in counseling: Some counseling professionals might view “antiracist” as a code word for “anti-white.” This thinking became popular among many white supremacists in 2006 when Bob Whitaker’s (2021) essay “Mantra” was released. Whitaker, a segregationist, falsely accused antiracist scholars of trying to destroy the white race. This is not true. The goal of antiracism is to eliminate racial injustices so all people can have the opportunity to live productively. More important, antiracist counselors recognize that antiracism is a way of life in which one acknowledges that racism negatively shapes society; thus, combatting it in our lives and our students’ or clients’ lives shapes a better and more harmonious society.
TABLE 1.1 Key Elements of Antiracist School Counseling
| Key Element | Description |
| Human growth and development | Use of theories of human development and behavior that are grounded in understanding Black and Brown people; use of Black psychology, African-centered psychology, Latinx psychology, and/ or any theory, approach, or intervention developed by and for Black and Brown people |
| Antiracist counseling and consultation | Use of strengths-based counseling and consultation techniques and strategies to lift up and validate the lived experiences of Black and Brown students, clients, and/or families |
| Policy change | Emphasis on changing school policies and practices that impact the schooling and counseling experiences of Black and Brown students (e.g., discipline policies, standardized testing) |
| Dismantling of racism and promotion of racial equity | Being a bystander to racism is harmful; challenge unequal systems of power that harm Black and Brown people; the goal of school counseling is to ensure racial and education justice |
| Data | Use of data to uncover racial disparities and inequities at the classroom, school, and district or community levels |
Conclusion
The history of racism in the United States has been long and painful. Amid escalating tensions across racial groups due to long-standing racial injustices, antiracism is an essential concept in determining meaningful societal change and building effective counseling practices. Racialized school policies and practices (e.g., discipline policies, testing policies, tracking, the identification of gifted students) have blocked the access of millions of children and parents across the country to positive opportunities for a productive life. Likewise, decades of school and community counseling without a focus on dismantling racist policies and practices have hindered racial justice and ensuring access to equal opportunities for all. Although it may be time to shift and examine racism in our profession, it is not time to give up. We as counselors must move forward with an antiracist focus and perspective if we want change!
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