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The field of public administration has long resisted admitting an uncomfortable truth. Public administrattion is culpable in creating and maintaining racist, white supremacist policies and institutions through which Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color disproportionately experience prejudice and discrimination and, therefore, inequities and injustices throughout public services and society. However, few have been willing to have this difficult conversation. This Dialogue symposium seeks to contribute to this conversation, and this introduction both previews pieces in the symposium while also adding context to key concepts and discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special symposium examines CRT across public and nonprofit spaces to better understand the effects of denying race and racism within the spaces they govern. Although ever present across public administration and nonprofit institutions, explicit discussions and/or initiatives designed to address racism, at the root level, are rare. While an increasingly growing area of interest, the study of public administration continues to avoid explicit conversations capable of leading to institutional shifts in racial justice. The articles included within this symposium move the study of racism (as a system of oppression) by using critical race theory (as a tool to eradicate this unjust system) within the field forward. Each manuscript offers critical race theory as a tool for public administration to move beyond its traditional notions of neutrality, objectivity, and technical rationality into a discipline and practice that accurately contextualizes history, centers the lived experience, and values racial justice as worthy of prioritization and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the integration of race-conscious dialogues in public administration programs will promote racial and social justice, as well as improve service delivery for a wide array of constituents. Scholars have acknowledged the challenges associated with incorporating racial justice into public sector practices. However, if racial divisions are to subside, academic and professional training programs need to purposefully include discussions of race, racism, and racial equity. This article concludes with a discussion of way to incorporate an antiracist pedagogy in public administration curriculum. This strategy can begin preparing future administrators to thoughtfully engage in difficult dialogues around topics of race and racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]