A Guide for Sustaining Conversations on Racism, Identity, and our Mutual Humanity

Steve Burghardt, M.S.W., Ph.D. is a professor of social work at Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College-CUNY. He is the author or co-author of numerous articles and over ten books. He is an eight-time teaching award winner, including the co-winning of the CSWE-Sage national award for innovative teaching. His activism began as a student organizer in the sixties; decades later, he was deeply involved with Occupy Wall Street and more recently as a leader in the Age Justice movement. His work as a consultant, trainer, and executive coach in the public and nonprofit sectors led him to a deep appreciation and respect for the committed work of frontline, as well as executive, staff for their unyielding commitments to those with whom they work-especially the poor, marginalized, and oppressed.

A Guide for Sustaining Conversations on Racism, Identity, and our Mutual Humanityis a hands-on guide for teachers, students, and agency professionals seeking to respond skillfully and sensitively to the often daunting challenges of classrooms, as students demand both answers and accountability concerning issues of race, power, privilege, and oppression and the emotional responses they provoke.


The guide includes suggestions to implement before entering the classroom, so that the necessary personal, community, and institutional infrastructure can support authentic, sustainable conversations. It discusses how educators can respond appropriately in the classroom to the hot-button issues of the day. There are also lessons for critical pedagogy and management that help educators reimagine classrooms and learn to create mutually supportive learning environments.



Written by four experienced anti-racist educators and practitioners, the book takes a direct, compassionate approach designed to diminish dogma and fear. By examining how socially different people respond to the same difficult questions, A Guide for Sustaining Conversations on Racism, Identity, and our Mutual Humanity creates a rich set of options for readers to use in their own classrooms, agencies, and field placements.
Steve Burghardt, M.S.W., Ph.D., is a professor of social work at Hunter College-CUNY. He is a noted author and an eight-time teaching award winner.
Kalima DeSuze, L.M.S.W., is an adjunct professor at Hunter College-CUNY, Smith College, and Columbia Schools of Social Work. She serves as an assistant director of the Hunter College-CUNY Field Education Department.
Linda Lausell Bryant, M.S.W., Ph.D., has worked as the executive director of a nonprofit youth agency and is now the executive-in-residence and clinical assistant professor of social work at New York University.
Mohan Vinjamuri, L.M.S.W., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of social work at Lehman College-CUNY where he teaches courses on practice, research, and social work with LGBTQ communities.