Morgan State University Professor Dr. Jerome Schiele delivers Carl Scott lecture at CSWE APM
Although I could not attend this year’s Council on Social Work Annual Program Meeting, I experienced it vicariously through LinkedIn. The many images of social workers of all ages celebrating another year of advancing excellence in social work education lifted my spirits. I'm always drawn to younger social workers. At my age, that could be mid-career professionals. Their energy seemed to radiate through my computer screen. I regretted not being there to celebrate with my colleagues and students.
My greatest regret was not being in Atlanta to reconnect with the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University, where I earned my MSW. I also missed Dr. Jerome Schiele's Carl Scott Lecture. He taught me statistics so well at Clark Atlanta that I could have waived my first semester at Columbia University. I was advised to take Ada Mui’s course, and I’m so glad I listened. Not attending the conference also meant I would not visit the Families First clinic, where I did my practicum and got my first social work job after graduating.
Earlier this month, I received notice that I was inducted into the inaugural Forever Young Fellows cohort, a great honor, as I have long admired one of the most effective advocates and leaders in the struggle for equal rights in the United States. He deserves far more recognition for his role in passing the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. I met with students at Howard University School of Social Work last week and showed them a photograph of him with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson in the Oval Office. While most recognized him, some did not remember his name or his accomplishments, and some were unaware that he was President of the National Association of Social Workers.
I look forward to the opportunity to have a lengthy conversation with Dean Sabrena Jackson and share with her my history with the school that had such a positive impact on my life. I want to learn about her vision for the school and how I might help. If your school is named for Whitney M. Young, Jr., you ought to be doing something.
I believe social work has a bright future because I engage with so many incredibly talented students through Student Advocacy Day and other activities. I feel uniquely blessed to engage with students nationwide. They bring different perspectives to our work in social work. Students in California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Ohio—you name the place—bring different views on politics, governing, and civic responsibility. The common denominator is that they are social workers motivated to improve society.
Some areas of social work can improve, as can most professions. However, I believe our leadership, for the most part, is about keeping social work relevant today. Kudos to CSWE CEO Dr. Halaevalu Vakalahi for another successful conference. Most people don’t fully understand the challenge of planning and managing events. They just show up and enjoy the festivities. It's an enormous undertaking. If you haven't visited the CSWE website in a while, take a look at the breadth of its work to keep social work educators and professionals informed.
If nothing else, the conference offered some relief from the constant anxiety we Americans experience daily about our frenetic government. It was a time to celebrate and contemplate. The midterm elections are just a week away. Even with the best outcome—a change in congressional leadership, certified elections, and some checks on presidential power—repairing the damage will take time. The new Congress will not be seated until January, and the President can repeal legislative remedies.
We should strategize now on a course of action that will let the social work profession maximize our potential. We raised the question back in 2018: Can Social Work Help Save Democracy? We can’t, and we need not, try to do it on our own. I believe we can harness the energy, optimism, and enthusiasm I saw in Atlanta to make a real difference.
Best to reach me at celewisjr@crispinc.org.