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This article traces the origins and goals of the abolition movement in the United States that began during the era of chattel slavery to demonstrate that the true aspirations of this movement—a racially just society free of racism and oppression—remain aspirations that are not yet realized. Realizing these aspirations is the real work of abolition and this is the work that social work must embrace today. Yet for social work to truly work toward an anti-racist future, we must also be anti-capitalist. This requires that we work toward both the abolition of harmful, racist systems and abolition of the racial capitalism that maintains these systems. The article concludes with recommendations for scholars and leaders in human service organizations to engage in and advance this work.
Alan J. Dettlaff (Sun,) studied this question.