Social Justice in Action
For over 80 years, we have been at the center of advocating for change with social justice being our fulcrum. Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants in the field of social work, such as our founders Dr. E. Franklin Frazier and Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay, our founding dean. Our current dean, Dr. Sandra Edmonds Crewe, and faculty continue to provide leadership for the profession while firmly connected to the communities that we serve.
School of Social Work alumni (MSW, BSW, DSW and PhD) have paved the way in many areas of social work practice and many were the architects of programs created through the Social Security and Civil Rights Acts. New MSW and Ph.D. graduates take on the challenges of needed reforms in health care, criminal justice, mental health, child welfare, immigration, housing and homelessness, long term care and tackle them both individually and collectively. We routinely join forces with our social work and inter-professional colleagues who share our passion and commitment, we champion the change we want to see in the world. Our graduates are guided by the principles of the Black Perspective that affirm the strengths of cultural differences and focus on quality of life for marginalized groups in society.
Our student body is diverse. We represent over 30 states and 20 countries. They come from over 40 undergraduate disciplines and share the common bond of improving the human condition through advocacy as well as direct practice intervention. Social workers today provide the majority of mental health services in the country and intervene in some of the world’s most pressing challenges such as poverty, racism, stigma, xenophobia, poverty and economic insecurity, intimate partner violence, health disparities and more.
Vision
To enhance human well-being and transform those human, organizational, social and economic conditions which impact African Americans, Africans in the Diaspora, other people of color, and the global community.
Mission
To prepare MSW graduates for advanced professional practice at local, national and international levels for the solution of human problems and to become leaders in their communities; and to prepare doctoral graduates for research, the professoriate, and leadership in the global community.
We are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge through discovery, research, partnerships, innovative practices, and other scholarly educational endeavors of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
Graduates of the master's and doctoral degree programs become architects of liberating structures in culturally diverse families and communities that are empowered to serve the best interests of all of their members.
Core Values
Social Work at Howard is unique because every course infuses the Black Perspective and a commitment to a focus on strengths of diverse families and communities. Howard-educated social workers are passionate about delivering service that will enhance the quality of life of individuals as well as their communities and the organizations and systems that serve them.
Advocacy is core to our mission and each Howard prepared social worker faces challenges with creative solutions that engage the individual and/or community in problem solving and critical thinking.
Giving Opportunities
Fundraising priorities include:
- Student Aid Campaign- Social Work
- School of Social Work Annual Fund
- International Service Learning
- Scholarship Donor Funds
