Preface

There is a noticeable disparity in the educational field when it comes to affordable resources on topics associated with social justice. Creating this open educational resource (OER) allowed us to “practice what we preach” when teaching a class about social justice and diversity. By offering a free, peer-reviewed resource for instructors, we can offer inclusivity and equity for students. Our goal is to disrupt the high cost of textbooks and to create space for students in the social justice movement.

Throughout the writing process of this OER, our team traveled and presented at national conferences all over the country. By presenting at different venues, we were able not only to share the idea of OER and how they benefit students, but also to share the specific content of this textbook. During our presentation at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) in 2023, we asked the audience to share words or concepts that come to mind when they think about “social justice.” The words they shared are listed below:

This collection of words was an inspirational message. It showed us that the work we are doing is necessary, important, and desired. The long-term plan for this OER is to update it on a yearly basis. We aim to maintain a current and up-to-date resource for instructors teaching social justice. If, after reading this OER, you have feedback to share regarding concepts, theories, facts, or ideas that you would like to see in the next updated version, please let us know. Just as social justice will only grow if society remains vigilant, this OER will only remain strong if our community engages and supports this project.

Contact information for this project:

Cailyn Green
Cailyn.green@sunyempire.edu
518-581-5353

Bernadet DeJonge
bernadet.dejonge@yu.edu
315-460-3166

About the author

name: Cailyn F. Green

Cailyn F. Green is a Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor- Masters Level (CASAC-M) through New York State. She is the Addiction Studies Professor at the State University of New York: Empire State University. She earned her BA from Western New England University in Springfield, MA and her MS in Forensic Mental Health from Sage Graduate School in Albany, NY. Her Ph.D is in Criminal Justice, specializing in Substance Use from Walden University in Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Green has over 10 years of experience teaching both in online and in-person college-level settings in substance use, human service, criminal justice and clinical counseling topics. She won the Scholars Across the University award in 2024 for her research in substance use topics and this social justice-focused textbook. She has 9 journal article publications to date and her other published textbooks include Evidence-Based Substance Use Treatment and the Group Counseling Workbook.