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School of Social Work

Past Events

The Howard University School of Social Work has hosted a variety events to enrich it's students, faculty, and alumni, as well the Howard University and DC community. We have an unwavering commitment to empowering others to be thought leaders & change makers.

 

We are extremely proud of the recent research and accomplishments by our faculty and former students.

In 2014, School of Social Work alumna and professor Dr. Ruby Gourdine, was selected as one of the 30 Most Influential Social Workers Alive Today by the Social Work Degree Guide. Selection was based on merit, scholastic study, and political activism. 

"Recognized as one of the social work pioneers by the National Association of Social Workers, Ruby Gourdine is a professor at Howard University with research focus on child welfare, youth exposure to violence, women’s issues, and social work history. She is the Chair of Direct Sequence Practice in the School of Social Work at Howard and offers expertise in the area of inequalities of service based on race in the workplace. Her advocacy combined with her work experience has given her the role of monitoring social work services for a variety of private agency programs and the DC public school system."

Our very own, Dr. Edwards, will be the keynote speaker at the Annual Joan Greenstone Lecture at Loyala University in Chicago on April 27th, 2017. She will be speaking on traumatic effects of race and poverty issues. Click here to register. More details on her work & research below.

The Intrapsychic Psychological Binds of Poverty and Race: The Intersection of Mind and Milieu

  The experiences of race and living in poverty are riddled with innumerable stressors and challenges, and thus are subject to the experience of a range of mental health issues. Those that live the experience of trauma related to race and poverty suffer disproportionately from a host of hardships that contribute to psychological distress that can have a profound effect on mental health and serve as intrapsychic binds. These internalized weights require therapeutic supports to alleviate the internalized oppressive circumstances by those that are immersed in the experience daily. This presentation explores the intersection of these psychological binds and their effect on human behavior.  Further it provides context for clinical interventions that empower and provoke resilience in the individual as they manage the grand challenges of the constraints of their environment and fiscal constraints in a world of plenty.  

Dr. Abu-Bader

 

On April 11th, our very own Dr. Abu-Bader presented alongside Dr. Tamara Kharroub and Dr. Imad Harb, both from the Arab Center Washington DC, for which he is a Board Member. He presented the results of the 2016 Arab Opinion Index, which surveyed 18310 participants from 12 Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The presentation was at the National Press Club, Washington, DC between 9:30-11:00 AM. The presentation was attended by many of the media organizations. Click here for more information and to also view media coverage by US News, US Today, and many others.

Dr. Abu-Bader will also present his research entitled “Prevalence of Depression among Older Arabs & Muslims in USA & Middle East” at the conference on Muslim Mental Health to be held at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI on April 13-15, 2017. 

 

Conference Poster Session

In January, faculty Dr. Husain and Ph.D. graduate Dr. Zidan presented at the Society for Social Work and Research's 2017 conference in New Orleans. Abstract Details: "American Muslims and Predictors of Health Status: A National Study." 

More info here.

HUSSW Ph.D. alumna, Dr. Lucinda Acquaye-Doyle, took students from her social policy course and communities and orgs classes to Albany to lobby in support of Raise the Age and the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative with NASW on 3/28. After they were done, they snuck off to visit her former study abroad student from Stony Brook who is now the youngest elected Assemblywoman. Below is what happened next...

http://nystateassembly.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=4181&meta_id=15787

Research WeekResearch Week

 

An oral presentation by Dr. Kolivoski was accepted for Howard University's Research Week.
Details: Kolivoski, K. M., & Klipp-Lockhart, T. Assessing the Financial Impact of Misdemeanor Court Fines and Fees in a Midwestern State. Oral presentation abstract submission to Howard University Research Week, April 2017.

Additionally, MSW student, Tim Klipp-Lockhart's poster was accepted for Research Week as well. Details: Klipp-Lockhart, T., & Kolivoski, K. M.. Disparities at Intervention Points in the Juvenile Justice System. Poster abstract submission to Howard University Research Week, April 2017.

 

SSWA Chicago Banners

SSWA Chicago DuoWe're excited to announce that our founding Dean, Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay, was one of four previous students and faculty from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago that was honored on March 30th for her enduring commitment to advancing the field of social work and social justice to foster more inclusive, equitable, and diverse communities.

Our current dean, Dr. Sandra Edmonds Crewe, not only attended to show support for our founding dean, but also spoke on a distinguished social work panel. To the right she is pictured with Ms. Jan Stepto-Millett, niece of Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay.

 

 

Proud of our students, Chanel Banks and Brittney Young who were selected as White House Initiative on HBCUs All-stars and represented the Howard University School of Social Work at the White House "Champions of Change" event in September 2016!

 

 

 

Check out some of the photos below to witness social work in action.

Social Work Cake

Did you know that March is official Social Work Month. This year's theme was "Stand Up For Social Work". We opened it up with a bang via a reception and a questionnaire/scavenger hunt for students to win prizes, as well as a call to chapel on March 5th.

We also hosted a policy panel, featuring former Congressman Ed Towns on 3/22. Towns, who served 30 years in the House representing central Brooklyn, NY before retiring in 2013, earned his M.S.W. degree at Adelphi University’s School of Social Work.  He first introduced the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act in 2008 during the 110th Congress and it has been re-introduced in succeeding Congresses, most recently in the 113th Congress by Rep. Lee as H.R. 1466. Ed Towns, along with former Congressman Ron Dellums, as well as Congresswoman Barbara Lee, spearheaded the creation of Social Work Day on The Hill.

“Having a day for social workers on the Hill has been a dream of mine for a long time,” the former lawmaker acknowledged.  “This will be a day held each year when social workers from all walks of life can gather on the Hill to celebrate the many accomplishments we have made in Congress and salute the many social workers working with the federal government to create a more just and equitable society for all people.  March is Social Work Month so this is the perfect time to do this.”

Below is a photo of Ed Towns, with our Clinical Education Director, Dr. Davis.Ed TownsPhoto courtesy of Patricia McDougall

Charter Day Stage

The School of Social Work celebrated Howard University's Charter Day on March 2nd, as well as 150 years of truth and service.

Faculty, staff, and students attended Convocation, as well as the Charter Day Dinner.

Charter Day Procession

Charter Day Stage

Charter Day DinnerCharter Day DinnerCharter Day Faculty

HUSSW students had the opportunity to participate in "Advocacy Day on The Hill" to meet with Congressional staff and advocate on legislation critical to social workers and the people we serve.This event is sponsored by the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, the Social Work Department of Gallaudet University and the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work at the University of Connecticut. Check out photos below from the event.

During spring break, the 2017 student and faculty delegation cohorts participated in our International Service Learning Program to Cape Town, South Africa and Alternative Spring Break-Haiti. From early education, to strategic planning, program management and evaluation, support groups, the intersection of HIV, substance abuse and domestic violence…our students were expose to areas that emerge as part of their fields of practice and how organizations apply the work of social work and social development, across the concentrations of direct practice and community, administration, policy and practice. Check out photos below for a few highlights from the 2017 trip.

Throughout the school year, our students participate in various activities that are geared towards influencing change for communities in need. Our students assisted the homeless by donating food & supplies, as well as creating lunch bags. We are proud to say that via joint efforts with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, our students created over 500 lunch bags! 

School of Social Work students and alumni that are in the area for the holidays spread cheer by serving warming meals for those in need on Thanksgiving morning. 

 

Many Howard University School of Social Work students, faculty, and alumni typically celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by giving back. There are no days off for advocacy. In 2017, our alumni association, along with family and friends, joined We Feed Our People, in the Big Chair area of Southeast, DC for a day of service.

We're extremely proud of all of the HUSSW students, faculty, and staff that contributed to the Feminine Hygiene Drive to assist homeless women and girls. This event tied in perfectly to our advocacy theme this academic year, which is homelessness. 

Social Work Donations

In 2015, the Howard University School of Social Work proudly hosted Congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. House of Representatives, California-13th Congressional District for a lecture on economic challenges in the Black Community. Congresswoman Lee earned her M.S.W. degree at the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Work and Chair of the Congressional Social Work Caucus.

Howard University School of Social Work students and faculty had the opportunity to gain invaluable information from former Congressman Ron Dellums. Former Congressman Ronald Dellums served in the House from 1971 to 1988 representing the 9th District in Northern California. He later became mayor of Oakland, CA and the Visiting Fellow at Howard University’s Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center.  

“I am pleased to help bring social workers to the Hill,” Mr. Dellums said.  “There is a sense of urgency today that did not exist fifty years ago when I first arrived on the Hill.  When Congressman Towns and I first came to Congress it seemed like we had plenty of time to address the challenges we faced.  The world is moving at a faster clip today and too many people are being left behind.  Social work must find the big idea that will define the profession over the next decade which is why it is so important that we all come together.”

Photos courtesy of Patricia McDougall

 

In February 2017, our students hosted a Mental Health First Aid Training. Thank you to the students and knowledgeable facilitators from the National Council for Behavioral Health that helped make this event a success. We're extremely proud of our Howard-prepared social workers for continously striving to be change agents.