Feature Article
ABSW – Association of Black Social Workers
Often, student groups and organizations enhance a student’s time in graduate school, providing extracurricular activities and social gatherings. But ABSW – the Association of Black Social Workers - is one student organization at SP² that goes above and beyond “enhancing” a student’s education: for many ABSW members, the group forms the foundation of their academic and professional experiences. As former ABSW President Chasity Gary, SW’07, explains, “it is through the relationships that I have developed [through ABSW] … that I am able to influence positive change.”
As a student chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers, ABSW provides “educational, professional, and social support to students of African descent in addressing the many issues that plague the Black Community.” (It is SP²’s only graduate student group to hold membership with a national organization.) Their mission – to “create an atmosphere in which academic and professional aspirations can coincide with minority interests” – guides them as they seek to raise the level of Black student engagement at SP² and within the University, provide a forum through which student members can exchange ideas, and develop programs in the interest of the Black student body and the Black community.
Commitment and tradition lie at the heart of ABSW, which has been an SP² student group for more than 30 years. Even after graduation, many alumni remain strongly committed to the group, returning to monthly Soul Circle events to “network with current students, give advice, and answer questions about various aspects of their work in the field.” In addition, several SP² graduates – Gloria Gay, MSW’80, Jack Lewis, MSW’81, and Sherisse Laud-Hammond, MSW’05 – currently serve as the group’s advisors. For members of ABSW, the transition from student to professional social worker is celebrated each May through the group’s Rites of Passage ceremony. According to Ms. Gary, the event “is an integral part of the experience and educational process that prepares our graduating students to enter the challenging field of Social Work ready to serve our children, families, and communities.” This year’s ceremony will mark the 14th time graduating students at SP² will celebrate Rites of Passage.
Throughout the year, ABSW plans and hosts a number of other events in addition to Rites of Passage. In January, the group organized a panel discussion focused on examining the issue of violence in the Black Community and its contributing factors. The panel was held during the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium and was the second of a two-part series, the first part of which was co-sponsored with BGAPSA (Black Graduate and Professional Students Assembly).
Just last week, ABSW held their annual bake sale fundraiser in honor of Black History Month. The funds will support the Ronald McDonald House, as well as offset the costs of students’ attendance at NABSW’s 39th Annual National Conference, which will be held in Detroit. The conference, Building On Our Strength, Infusing New Leadership, offers students the opportunity to exchange information regarding issues and challenges facing the Black community, while also affording the chance to network with other social work professionals.
ABSW recently transitioned its leadership to the 2007 Executive Board: Crystal Lucas (President), Tiffany Sutherland (Vice President), Rashetta Fairnot (Secretary), Blessing Nwajuaku (Treasurer), Sharlis Anthony (Student Council Representative), and Andrea Bell (BGAPSA Representative). The 2006 Executive Board members were: Chasity Gary (President), Candace Johnson (Vice President), Jennifer Jones (Secretary), Jordane Jolley (Treasurer), and Jackie Desrouleaux (Student Council Representative and BGAPSA Representative).