The Black Perspective

The Black Perspective is an affirming and profoundly liberating stance both at the individual and collective levels. It celebrates the richness, productivity and vigor of the lives of African Americans and Blacks in other parts of the world. The school is committed to imbuing social work practice and theory with this perspective, which means a commitment on our part to using increasing levels of rigorous scholastic productivity, teaching effectiveness, and social work practice as tools to advance the contemporary African American agenda. This includes a special commitment to public social services, a service arena of importance to many African American communities. 

Precisely because the Black Perspective is first an affirmation of strength, it insists on delineating ways in which that strength can be used to respond to the continuing oppression of African American people. The search for the causes, consequences and elimination of oppression is inherent in all areas of social work practice, research and education. 

The Black Perspective is distinctive, but not monolithic. Simplistic, global characterizations of African American individuals, families, groups, and communities are intolerable. It is equally unacceptable to overlook the genuine cultural, economic, political and social bonds of distinctiveness that do exist. Producing social work practitioners, researchers and educators who are faithful both to the commonalties of interest and experience and to the rich and complex diversities within the African American community is a challenging task. Knowledge about diversities and commonalties is constantly expanding. Keeping abreast of that knowledge, contributing to it, and shaping social work practice to it are prime elements of our mission. 

The Black Perspective is an inclusive framework.  Inherent in this principle is belief that all people have the right to participate fully in society without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, ability, or genetic information. This principle also recognizes that people do not experience their lives based on their membership in a single demographic category, but that intersectionality influences experiences of both privilege and oppression.  The principle of inclusion creates a welcoming environment for all persons in the human service workforce, including social work professionals, professionals from other disciplines and those with lived experiences with social services.   

The Black Perspective means a special sensitivity to the experiences of all oppressed and underserved groups in American society. There is no contradiction between giving primacy to the African American experience and being responsive to the experiences of other groups who have been subjected to oppressive forces. Howard University's heritage as a leader in the struggle for social justice places the School in a uniquely advantageous position to work with all groups seeking equality and freedom from oppression. 

An international dimension with special emphasis on Africa and the Caribbean areas is intrinsic to the School's Black Perspective. The school has a mission to educate international students for positions of direct social work practice and leadership roles in social welfare administration and policy in their home countries. A second aspect of the international dimension is developing that area of social work practice dealing with refugees and other displaced populations—both those individuals displaced within their own countries and those displaced to the United States and other countries. A final aspect of the international dimension is the school's desire to foster in its graduates a sense of involvement and commitment to other parts of the world as an element of their professional identity. This is especially important for those areas where issues of social justice and social welfare for people of color are crucial.