Honoring the Legacy of Inabel Burns Lindsay, Founding Dean of the Howard University School of Social Work

Honoring the Legacy of Inabel Burns Lindsay

February 2025

In gratitude and remembrance, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dean Inabel Burns Lindsay. 

Inabel Burns Lindsay was a pioneering force in social work education, an advocate for racial justice, and the founding dean of the Howard University School of Social Work. Through her steadfast commitment to equity, academic excellence, and social change, she laid the foundation for one of the nation’s most esteemed social work programs—now ranked #12 in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report.

Born in 1900, Lindsay’s journey was one of resilience and groundbreaking achievements. She was among the earliest Black women to earn a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago and later became the first African American woman to lead an accredited school of social work in the United States. At Howard, she emphasized a sociocultural perspective that evolved into the Black Perspective, ensuring that social work education actively addressed systemic barriers facing Black communities through a strength-based, affirmative approach. She took a leave from Howard to pursue her doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh, earning her Ph.D. in 1952. Her dissertation, titled The Participation of Negroes in the Establishment of Welfare Services, 1885-1900, with Special Reference to the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, documented the underappreciated contributions of Black professionals in social welfare.

As a distinguished scholar and leader, Lindsay fought tirelessly against discrimination in social work institutions and led efforts to expand opportunities for Black social workers in federal agencies. Her influence extended to national policy—she was a delegate to the 1966 White House Conference on Civil Rights, a consultant to the House and Senate Committees on Aging, and a member of the D.C. Public Welfare Advisory Board. She also served on the boards of the National Urban League and the National Council on Aging and chaired the D.C. chapter of the American Association of Social Workers.

Lindsay’s impact was profound and enduring. By the time she retired in 1967, the School of Social Work had grown to 210 full-time graduate students, making it one of the 15 largest programs in the country. Even in retirement, she remained committed to social justice, writing The Multiple Hazards of Age and Race: The Situation of Aged Blacks in the United States. In recognition of her legacy, Howard University renamed its School of Social Work building Inabel Burns Lindsay Hall in 1985, two years after her passing.

As we reflect on 90 years of Social Work Education at Howard University, Dr. Lindsay's work reminds us that education is more than acquiring knowledge—it is about action, advocacy, and the responsibility to uplift those most oppressed in a biased and unjust system. We stand on her shoulders as we continue her mission, ensuring that social work remains a force for justice, equity, and empowerment.

View Inabel Burns Lindsay Education Leadership Award Recipients

Citations: 

Crewe, S. E., Brown, A. W., & Gourdine, R. M. (2008). Inabel Bums Lindsay: A social worker, educator, and administrator uncompromising in the pursuit of social justice for all. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 2(4), 363-377.

Boyd, Simons (2024). "Founding Dean of School of Social Work Inabel Burns Lindsay, a Social Justice Champion and Innovative Leader". The Dig. https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/founding-dean-school-social-work-inabel-burns-lindsay-social-justice-champion-and-innovative-leader 

Brown, Annie Woodley; Gourdine, Ruby Morton; and Crewe, Sandra Edmonds (2011) "Inabel Burns Lindsay: Social Work Pioneer Contributor to Practice and Education through a Socio-cultural Perspective," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 38: Iss. 1, Article 8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3588 
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol38/iss1/8 

Inabel Burns Lindsay. Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. (n.d.). https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/alumni/success-stories/inabel-burns-lindsay