Fighting racism and sexism: The council on social work education

This article focuses on the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) efforts to fight racism and sexism within schools of social work. Against a backdrop of federal affirmative action policies, funding initiatives, and Supreme Court decisions, the archival records of the CSWE demonstrate strong and varied organizing among its minority and female members. Thus, the CSWE moved from an equal opportunity to an affirmative action approach, initiating changes in accreditation, student and faculty recruitment, and curriculum. Progress continued until the late 1970s-early 1980s when affirmative action policies nationwide met with resistance, or backlash, from nonminority groups.