Celebrate Black History Month with the NASW Foundation and NASW

The NASW Foundation and NASW are proud to celebrate Black History Month and honor the rich history of blacks in social work. We encourage you to celebrate with us by learning more about this wonderful record of achievement: visit these online resources and please participate in an upcoming February 26 “NASW Facebook Live Event” with NASW President Mit Joyner, and member of the NASW Social Work Pioneers®, on the legacy of Whitney Moore Young, Jr.:

• Social Workers Are Essential Chats With Mit:  "NASW Facebook Live Event."  In a special Black History Month episode of Social Workers are Essential Chats with Mit, NASW President Mit Joyner talks about the legacy of Whitney Young Jr. with his daughters Lauren Casteel and Marcia Cantarella. “Remembering the Life of Civil Rights Trailblazer and NASW President Whitney Moore Young, Jr. on February 26, 4:30 PM ET, a "NASW Facebook Live Event.”

• NASW Honors Black History Month:  NASW takes a look at the rich tapestry of achievement by black social work pioneers. Follow this link to video >>

• NASW Social Work Pioneers® Online Gallery of Pioneer Bios:  NASW’s Video highlights notable black social work pioneers, many of whom have been inducted into the NASW Social Work Pioneers®: Ida B. Wells, Dr. James Russell Dumpson, Dr. George Edmund Haynes, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper, Dr. Whitney Moore Young, Jr. — and there are so many others deserving of recognition. Spend some time browsing our gallery of Pioneer bios which includes more than a century of achievement by black social workers. Follow this link to Pioneer Bios >>

• NASW Presents Social Work Pioneer Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper Video:  Dr. Harper, a member of the NASW Social Work Pioneers®, is a hospice care innovator who was a Medical Care Advisor at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, now known as the Department of Health Education and Welfare. Hear from Dr. Harper, herself, about her incredible story, a lifetime of breaking barriers. Follow this link to the video >>

You might also be interested in learning about the Foundation's Verne LaMarr Lyons Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to Master's Degree candidates in social work who demonstrate an interest in or have experience with health/mental health practice and have a commitment to working in African American communities. Previous recipients now work in hospitals, medical clinics, and social services agencies that provide treatment and specialized services to African American clients and others have gone into broader leadership services.

The scholarship program is a memorial to Verne LaMarr Lyons, a social worker and NASW national staff member who died in 1989, while waiting for a heart transplant. Lyons committed his life to increasing awareness of pernicious health concerns affecting African Americans such as insufficient prenatal care, infant mortality, AIDS, cirrhosis, and general life expectancy. 

To learn more about the Lyons Scholarship, as well as other scholarships, fellowships, and awards offered by the NASW Foundation, please follow this link >>