A Conversation on Race and Privilege with Angela Davis and Jane Elliott UHGCSW 2018-09-07 | A Conversation on Race and Privilege with Angela Davis and Jane Elliott is the latest installment of the student-led Social Justice Solutions series. Each year, we invite activists, thought leaders, and the community to explore action-oriented strategies to affect social change. This year we are honored to host two luminaries who have long been on the front lines of pushing the national conversation on race and racial justice forward.
Healthy Start at the UH Graduate College of Social Work UHGCSW 2024-03-15 | Healthy Start aims to diminish infant and maternal mortality rates, enhance access to prenatal care, and eliminate service-related barriers. Learn more about this program at bit.ly/GCSW_UH_HealthyStart_24
Combatting the AIDS/HIV epidemic in the Southern U.S. UHGCSW 2024-01-23 | Director of Programs for SUSTAIN COMPASS Coordinating Center, Marcus A. Stanley, reflects on joining the SUSTAIN team and aspiring making change with organizations particularly around Trauma Informed Care. This past year, SUSTAIN commemorated five years of combatting the AIDS/HIV epidemic in the Southern U.S.Learn more: bit.ly/GCSWSustain5Years
SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Center Commemorates Five Years UHGCSW 2024-01-23 | The GCSW’s SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Center commemorated five years of combatting the AIDS/HIV epidemic in the Southern U.S. Director and social work associate professor and Associate Dean of Doctoral Education Samira Ali reflects on what this means to her.Learn more: bit.ly/GCSWSustain5Years
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Steven Parks UHGCSW 2023-08-15 | Steven focuses on working therapeutically with children who have experienced trauma and mental health symptoms, and his primary interest is in play therapy.
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Charday Foster UHGCSW 2023-08-15 | Charday specializes in teaching macro-level courses and is involved with the Practicum Education team. Her enthusiasm for helping students navigate their practicum experiences contributes to the development of our future social work leaders.
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Suzanne Pritzker UHGCSW 2023-08-01 | Dr. Suzanne Pritzker’s research is driven by a passion for civic engagement and political justice. In her teaching, she teaches policy courses focused on building social workers, civic engagement, and amplifying social workers' voices so that social workers can be part of shaping more just policies.
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Tamika White UHGCSW 2023-07-26 | Tamika's specializations are death, grief and loss, medical social work, distance social work education and case management. She is grateful to be part of the GCSW and an agent of change.
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Cindy Carter UHGCSW 2023-07-19 | Clinical Assistant Professor Cindy Carter works diligently to dismantle the oppressive barriers that are keeping people out of the social work profession.
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Susan Robbins UHGCSW 2023-07-14 | Dr. Susan Robbins' research focuses on understanding and addressing substance use disorders, ending the war on drugs, and embracing harm reduction.
Faculty in Focus: Yvonne Mendoza UHGCSW 2023-07-11 | Clinical Assistant Professor, Yvonne Mendoza, teaches confronting oppression and injustice, focusing on the impact of race and centering the experiences of black and people of color.
Faculty in Focus: Sarah Narendorf UHGCSW 2023-07-07 | Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, Dr. Sarah Narendorf, focuses her research on the transition to adulthood and ensuring that all young people can thrive in that transition. Through it, she aims to develop interventions and policy insights that supports young adults.
GCSW Faculty in Focus: Shelley Gonzales UHGCSW 2023-07-03 | Assistant Director of Practicum Education and Assistant Clinical Faculty Shelley Gonzales became a social worker because she was interested in psychology, people, and how they work. Through it, she discovered how contextual life and humanity are.
GCSW Faculty In Focus: Video Series Intro UHGCSW 2023-06-29 | This summer, we are excited to present GCSW Faculty in Focus, a video series spotlighting our distinguished faculty. Join us as we introduce you to these remarkable individuals and highlight their passion for social work and the impact they strive to make.
No Saviors No Prisons: Sex Workers Speak! UHGCSW 2023-04-16 | Resources: http://beacons.ai/nsnpEvent Website: http://nosaviorsnoprisons.neocities.org----------Nuestro en vivo incluye subtítulos en español para los espectadores en línea.Estos subtítulos y una transcripción también estarán disponibles para las personas que vean la grabación después del evento.Para cualquier (posible) evento en el futuro, integraremos la Justicia lingüística en una etapa más temprana del proceso, incluyendo la divulgación y la interpretación.----------Ni salvadores ni prisiones: ¡Hablan las Trabajadores sexuales!-Únase a nosotres para desafiar las prácticas carcelarias, construir comunidad y compartir alegría.-¿Cómo pueden trabajadores sociales y trabajadores sexuales practicar la solidaridad para luchar hacia la liberación?----------Social Work’s relationship with people in the sex trades overwhelmingly endangers, incarcerates, and controls those it claims to support. The profession routinely neglects the perspectives of sex workers, leading to practices that violate its ethical standards of social justice, self-determination, and the dignity and worth of the person.No Saviors, No Prisons: Sex Workers Speak! urges us to commit to liberatory work by and with people in the sex trades as part of the larger abolitionist movement.Social workers must challenge anti-sex work laws and practices that further the state's criminalization of BIPOC, trans, queer, immigrant, and houseless folks. Likewise, sex worker advocates must center our work in the abolitionist struggle to upend white supremacy, capitalism, cispatriarchy, and imperialism.Together, we can build a world rooted in care, not punishment. Join us to challenge carceral practices and imagine social work that strives alongside sex workers toward liberation!Special Thanks to our Event SponsorsUniversity of Houston Graduate College of Social Work West Street Recovery*New Moon FundHouston DSALilith Fund *Fiscal Sponsor
No Saviors No Prisons: Sex Workers Speak! UHGCSW 2023-04-16 | Resources: http://beacons.ai/nsnpEvent Website: http://nosaviorsnoprisons.neocities.org----------Nuestro en vivo incluye subtítulos en español para los espectadores en línea.Estos subtítulos y una transcripción también estarán disponibles para las personas que vean la grabación después del evento.Para cualquier (posible) evento en el futuro, integraremos la Justicia lingüística en una etapa más temprana del proceso, incluyendo la divulgación y la interpretación.----------Ni salvadores ni prisiones: ¡Hablan las Trabajadores sexuales!-Únase a nosotres para desafiar las prácticas carcelarias, construir comunidad y compartir alegría.-¿Cómo pueden trabajadores sociales y trabajadores sexuales practicar la solidaridad para luchar hacia la liberación?----------Social Work’s relationship with people in the sex trades overwhelmingly endangers, incarcerates, and controls those it claims to support. The profession routinely neglects the perspectives of sex workers, leading to practices that violate its ethical standards of social justice, self-determination, and the dignity and worth of the person.No Saviors, No Prisons: Sex Workers Speak! urges us to commit to liberatory work by and with people in the sex trades as part of the larger abolitionist movement.Social workers must challenge anti-sex work laws and practices that further the state's criminalization of BIPOC, trans, queer, immigrant, and houseless folks. Likewise, sex worker advocates must center our work in the abolitionist struggle to upend white supremacy, capitalism, cispatriarchy, and imperialism.Together, we can build a world rooted in care, not punishment. Join us to challenge carceral practices and imagine social work that strives alongside sex workers toward liberation!Special Thanks to our Event SponsorsUniversity of Houston Graduate College of Social Work West Street Recovery*New Moon FundHouston DSALilith Fund *Fiscal Sponsor
Social Justice Solutions w- Derecka Purnell moderated by Kiese Laymon #TOWARDLiberation UHGCSW 2022-11-01 | Corrected Link: youtube.com/watch?v=eWJConW1sn0Submit a question: bit.ly/SJSDPKLQandAJoin the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work for the re-re-reschedule of Social Justice Solutions with Derecka Purnell, author of Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and The Pursuit of Freedom. Each year, we invite activists, thought leaders, and the community, to explore action-oriented strategies to affect social change. This year we are excited to announce that Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy, our 2019 Summer Read and newly minted MacArthur ‘genius’ Fellow, will join Derecka Purnell in conversation. Together they will guide us through an exploration of Becoming Abolitionists which invites readers to envision new systems that work to address the root causes of violence and elaborate on the belief that abolition is not solely about getting rid of the police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society.Last year all GCSW students, faculty, and staff received a copy of Becoming Abolitionists, Purnell’s acclaimed memoir. We are thrilled to present our students with an opportunity to hear from the author whose work has served to deepen their understanding of abolition as part of their social work education. Also, we are honored to welcome back Kiese Laymon whose work has had a profound influence on our community.Journey with us as we continue learning about the imaginative work of abolition essential to dismantling systems in pursuit of true freedom and liberation for all. Follow the conversation on Twitter! #TOWARDLiberation
Speaking of Social Justice w- Dorothy Roberts moderated by Dean Alan Dettlaff. #TOWARDLiberation UHGCSW 2022-09-23 | Submit a question: bit.ly/SJSDorothyRobertsQuestionsJoin us as we welcome Dorothy Roberts, acclaimed scholar of race, gender and the law in conversation with GCSW Dean Alan Dettlaff to discuss Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—And How Abolition Can Build a Safer World, her highly anticipated work that culminates 25 years of investigating racism in family policing and calls for a radically reimagined way to support children and their families.Follow the conversation on Twitter! #TOWARDLiberation
Research to Practice: Housing Access for Youth Experiencing Homelessness UHGCSW 2021-11-19 | Research to Practice: Housing Access for Youth Experiencing Homelessness WebinarThis webinar will cover the following topics:• What is Different about Housing for Youth and Young Adults? • What is the role of COCs in the landscape of youth and young adult homelessness? • What do we know about Triage Tools? • Who gets which type of housing and who is successful? A panel discussion across the presentations and audience Q & A will be moderated by Dr. Sarah Narendorf at the conclusion of the four panels. Register for 1.5 free CEUs here: bit.ly/3C4NdDu
Speaking of Social Justice with Marlon Peterson UHGCSW 2021-09-30 | Join us as we host Marlon Peterson, author of Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist's Freedom Song.Peterson's moving memoir about coming of age in Brooklyn and surviving incarceration—and a call to break free from all the cages that confine us, was the 2021 selection for the GCSW's annual Dean's Summer Social Justice Reading Series.In his second visit to the GCSW, the author, organizer, and leading advocate for prison abolition and transformative justice, Peterson headlines the Maconda Brown O'Connor Speaking of Social Justice Lecture Series. The event will feature a reading and moderated discussion of his powerful debut that demands a shift from punishment to healing, an end to prisons, and a new vision of justice.Previously Peterson was the keynote speaker for Abolish or Reform: Bringing Justice to the Criminal Justice System for our annual Amplify Your Voice series in 2019. During that talk, he challenged our community to consider the narrative and our assumptions about justice.Join us as we explore these ideas from his memoir, where, with vulnerability and insight, he uncovers the many cages—from the daily violence and trauma of poverty to policing, to enforced masculinity, and the brutality of incarceration—created and maintained by American society.This event will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube page.DATEWednesday, September 29, 20216:00 PM CSTSUBMIT A QUESTIONIf you have a specific question for Marlon Peterson about Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist's Freedom song, please follow the link to submit your question for the audience Q&A. bit.ly/SPSJMarlonPeterson2021
GCSW Class of 2021 Graduate Recognition UHGCSW 2021-05-19 | Welcome to our virtual celebration of the 2021 graduating class of the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston!
How We EndUP: Black Feminist Dreams for the Future UHGCSW 2021-05-18 | Abolishing the family policing system requires the creation of another world and the reimagining, or remembering, of care. As Black feminism instructs, the liberatory project of abolition requires the making of a society that is free of all systems of oppression. Thus, this webinar will address how Black feminist theory and understandings, including reproductive justice, guide us toward the abolition of the family policing system and the creation of (envision) a society where children, families, and communities are no longer over surveilled by state systems and have the power and resources for what they need to live freely and abundantly.Speakers• Victoria Copeland - Victoria Copeland is a doctoral candidate at UCLA. Her research explores the use of data and surveillance within the “child welfare” system. More specifically, she is interested in how multi-system data infrastructures, predictive analytics, and surveillance in decision-making processes impact Black families and communities. She uses Black Feminist thought, abolitionist praxis, and critical technology studies as a point of entry.• Chelsea Williams-Diggs - Chelsea (she/her) is a radical truth-teller, budding abolitionist, and lifelong student of Black feminist thought. From 9-5, you can find her navigating the criminal legal and immigration systems advocacy space, and in her free time, organizing around reproductive justice with the New York Abortion Access Fund. Chelsea holds a BA from Georgetown University and MA in Public Policy, concentrating in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from The George Washington University.Moderator• Maya Pendleton. Maya Pendleton (she/her) is a Senior Policy Analyst at CSSP and a member of the upEND Movement team. Maya is a student of abolition, Black studies, Black feminist thought, and reproductive justice and is inspired by collective movements to create alternate forms of being and care. Maya holds a B.A. from Georgetown University and a Masters of Public Policy from Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration where she studied social policy at the intersection of race, gender, and class.
GCSW Alumna Shanquela Williams MSW 18 Shares How A Scholarship Paved the Way for Her Career UHGCSW 2021-05-04 | Support our students and social work today! Text Give2GCSW to 71777 Graduates of the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) impact the community by addressing the complex challenges currently facing our communities. Our valued alumni hold a responsibility to undertake diverse client needs by navigating intricate systems, empowering individuals and advocating for communities. It is a vital role within institutions such as hospitals, behavioral health providers, schools, nonprofits and government where they help ensure safety, compassion, and justice for vulnerable populations. Our renowned faculty members prepare diverse leaders in practice and research to address complex challenges and achieve sustainable social, racial, economic, and political justice, locally and globally, through exceptional education, innovative research, and meaningful community engagement. GCSW graduates improve the lives of individuals and communities in their many diverse roles as social workers including therapists, advocates, organizers, psychologists, researchers, academic and nonprofit leaders inspired to change the world. The GCSW is dedicated to providing opportunities for our students to graduate prepared to serve individuals, organizations and communities with critical needs, without the added economic burden to students and their families. I am confident increased funding for scholarship opportunities and larger fellowship stipends will strengthen efforts to recruit top MSW and Ph.D. students. As you may imagine, scholarship support is almost always a significant – if not deciding – factor in a talented student choosing the GCSW. By making your gift, you are helping us achieve our goal to provide financial aid for every student who requests it and to reduce student debt for every student who pursues a selfless career in social work.
GCSW Alum Dawn McCarty (MSW 95 | PhD 02) Honors Her Mothers Legacy Through a Student Scholarship UHGCSW 2021-05-04 | Support our students and social work today! Text Give2GCSW to 71777 Graduates of the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) impact the community by addressing the complex challenges currently facing our communities. Our valued alumni hold a responsibility to undertake diverse client needs by navigating intricate systems, empowering individuals and advocating for communities. It is a vital role within institutions such as hospitals, behavioral health providers, schools, nonprofits and government where they help ensure safety, compassion, and justice for vulnerable populations. Our renowned faculty members prepare diverse leaders in practice and research to address complex challenges and achieve sustainable social, racial, economic, and political justice, locally and globally, through exceptional education, innovative research, and meaningful community engagement. GCSW graduates improve the lives of individuals and communities in their many diverse roles as social workers including therapists, advocates, organizers, psychologists, researchers, academic and nonprofit leaders inspired to change the world. The GCSW is dedicated to providing opportunities for our students to graduate prepared to serve individuals, organizations and communities with critical needs, without the added economic burden to students and their families. I am confident increased funding for scholarship opportunities and larger fellowship stipends will strengthen efforts to recruit top MSW and Ph.D. students. As you may imagine, scholarship support is almost always a significant – if not deciding – factor in a talented student choosing the GCSW. By making your gift, you are helping us achieve our goal to provide financial aid for every student who requests it and to reduce student debt for every student who pursues a selfless career in social work.
Support GCSW Student Scholarships! Cindy Crews Shares How GCSW Scholarships Make Dreams Come True UHGCSW 2021-04-29 | Support our students and social work today! Text Give2GCSW to 71777Graduates of the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) impact the community by addressing the complex challenges currently facing our communities. Our valued alumni hold a responsibility to undertake diverse client needs by navigating intricate systems, empowering individuals and advocating for communities. It is a vital role within institutions such as hospitals, behavioral health providers, schools, nonprofits and government where they help ensure safety, compassion, and justice for vulnerable populations.Our renowned faculty members prepare diverse leaders in practice and research to address complex challenges and achieve sustainable social, racial, economic, and political justice, locally and globally, through exceptional education, innovative research, and meaningful community engagement.GCSW graduates improve the lives of individuals and communities in their many diverse roles as social workers including therapists, advocates, organizers, psychologists, researchers, academic and nonprofit leaders inspired to change the world. The GCSW is dedicated to providing opportunities for our students to graduate prepared to serve individuals, organizations and communities with critical needs, without the added economic burden to students and their families. I am confident increased funding for scholarship opportunities and larger fellowship stipends will strengthen efforts to recruit top MSW and Ph.D. students.As you may imagine, scholarship support is almost always a significant – if not deciding – factor in a talented student choosing the GCSW. By making your gift, you are helping us achieve our goal to provide financial aid for every student who requests it and to reduce student debt for every student who pursues a selfless career in social work.
Eyes On Abolition: Speaking of Social Justice featuring Reginald Dwayne Betts UHGCSW 2021-04-27 | Submit your questions! bit.ly/sosjbettsqaWe will explore Felon: Poems, by Reginald Dwayne Betts, the 2020 selection for the Dean’s Summer Social Justice Reading Series. Betts, an award-winning author, poet, lawyer, and advocate for criminal justice reform will join us to present an excerpt of the solo show he is developing based on Felon. The work engages with the contemporary moment, mass incarceration, and the challenges of having a complicated conversation about crime, punishment, and sorrow in America.Reginald Dwayne Betts is an award-winning author, poet, lawyer, and outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform. Betts transformed himself from a sixteen-year-old kid sentenced to nine years in prison to a critically acclaimed writer and graduate of the Yale Law School. His latest collection of poetry, Felon, interrogates and challenges our notions of justice. Longtime New York Times critic, Michiko Kukatani calls Betts’ work both “haunting and harrowing.This presentation will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube page Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 4:00 - 5:30 pm CSTEYES ON ABOLITION: Speaking of Social Justice with Reginald Dwayne BettsDate: Tuesday, April 27Time: 4:00 pm CSTThe event will be streamed live via Facebook and Youtube
Support GCSW Student Scholarships! Meet Areli Tamayo UHGCSW 2021-04-23 | Support our students and social work today! Text Give2GCSW to 71777Graduates of the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) impact the community by addressing the complex challenges currently facing our communities. Our valued alumni hold a responsibility to undertake diverse client needs by navigating intricate systems, empowering individuals and advocating for communities. It is a vital role within institutions such as hospitals, behavioral health providers, schools, nonprofits and government where they help ensure safety, compassion, and justice for vulnerable populations.Our renowned faculty members prepare diverse leaders in practice and research to address complex challenges and achieve sustainable social, racial, economic, and political justice, locally and globally, through exceptional education, innovative research, and meaningful community engagement.GCSW graduates improve the lives of individuals and communities in their many diverse roles as social workers including therapists, advocates, organizers, psychologists, researchers, academic and nonprofit leaders inspired to change the world. The GCSW is dedicated to providing opportunities for our students to graduate prepared to serve individuals, organizations and communities with critical needs, without the added economic burden to students and their families. I am confident increased funding for scholarship opportunities and larger fellowship stipends will strengthen efforts to recruit top MSW and Ph.D. students.As you may imagine, scholarship support is almost always a significant – if not deciding – factor in a talented student choosing the GCSW. By making your gift, you are helping us achieve our goal to provide financial aid for every student who requests it and to reduce student debt for every student who pursues a selfless career in social work.
Strategies for Achieving Racial Justice in Social Work Education(Part 4) UHGCSW 2021-04-16 | Thank you for joining us! Submit questions for panelists! http://bit.ly/RJSP4QandAYou can view today's program here: bit.ly/RJS-Pt4-WebSocial Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium: Strategies for Achieving Racial Justice in Social Work EducationSocial work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. *You will only need to register for one day. The ticket you receive will allow you to participate in both days of the symposium streaming live via YouTube.Part 4: Strategies for Achieving Racial Justice in Social Work EducationApril 15 & 16, 2021, 12:30 – 4:30 PM EasternPart 4 continues the exploration of our anti-racist future and the role of social work education in helping to achieve this. What is the future of social work education, and what are the strategies we need to employ to achieve racial justice in social work education?
Social Work , White Supremacy, and Racial Justice (Part 4) UHGCSW 2021-04-15 | Social work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. *You will only need to register for one day. The ticket you receive will allow you to participate in both days of the symposium streaming live via YouTube.Part 4: Strategies for Achieving Racial Justice in Social Work EducationApril 15 & 16, 2021, 12:30 – 4:30 PM EasternPart 4 continues the exploration of our anti-racist future and the role of social work education in helping to achieve this. What is the future of social work education, and what are the strategies we need to employ to achieve racial justice in social work education?
Support GCSW Student Scholarships! UHGCSW 2021-04-14 | Support our students and social work today! Text Give2GCSW to 71777Graduates of the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) impact the community by addressing the complex challenges currently facing our communities. Our valued alumni hold a responsibility to undertake diverse client needs by navigating intricate systems, empowering individuals and advocating for communities. It is a vital role within institutions such as hospitals, behavioral health providers, schools, nonprofits and government where they help ensure safety, compassion, and justice for vulnerable populations.Our renowned faculty members prepare diverse leaders in practice and research to address complex challenges and achieve sustainable social, racial, economic, and political justice, locally and globally, through exceptional education, innovative research, and meaningful community engagement.GCSW graduates improve the lives of individuals and communities in their many diverse roles as social workers including therapists, advocates, organizers, psychologists, researchers, academic and nonprofit leaders inspired to change the world. The GCSW is dedicated to providing opportunities for our students to graduate prepared to serve individuals, organizations and communities with critical needs, without the added economic burden to students and their families. I am confident increased funding for scholarship opportunities and larger fellowship stipends will strengthen efforts to recruit top MSW and Ph.D. students.As you may imagine, scholarship support is almost always a significant – if not deciding – factor in a talented student choosing the GCSW. By making your gift, you are helping us achieve our goal to provide financial aid for every student who requests it and to reduce student debt for every student who pursues a selfless career in social work.
Eyes on Abolition: Amplify Your Voice with Feminista Jones UHGCSW 2021-03-31 | For Social Work month, we will explore social work’s history of collaboration and cooperation with carceral systems including policing and foster care with Feminista Jones, retired social worker, feminist writer, public speaker, and community activist. We will discuss how social work’s history aligns with our values and professional mandate to fight against systems that perpetuate injustice and oppression. How do social workers reconcile our history? How do we move forward?Feminista Jones | Intersectionality Expert | Author, is a Philadelphia-based feminist writer, public speaker, retired social worker, and community activist. She is an award-winning blogger and the author of four books, including the critically acclaimed 2019 release, Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World From the Tweets to the Streets.This presentation will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube page Wednesday, March 31st 12:00 pm - 1:30 CSTEYES ON ABOLITION: Amplify Your Voice with Feminista JonesDate: Wednesday, March 31Time: 12:00 pm CSTThe event will be streamed live via Facebook and Youtube
Introducing the new UH Graduate College of Social Work Mural by Reginald Adams UHGCSW 2021-03-16 | At the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, art presents a canvas upon which we share our story, our values, and our history. For over 20 years, the "Pulling Together" tile mosaic mural by Reginald Adams has created a welcoming door to foster conversations as we welcome students and the community. Located in the lobby of the GCSW building, the mural serves as part greeter, historian, storyteller, facilitator of belonging, and a reminder of our vision and the work to be done together. Twenty years later, thanks to a legacy gift from The Frees Foundation, artist Reginald Adams collaborated with the College to begin the task of updating and refreshing the mural so that "it would be exactly what people remember but also fresher, with a means of reengaging the common community." We are excited to share this new version that honors our legacy and documents our evolution as a College. Our determined vision to achieve social, racial, economic, and political justice is reflected in every component of this work to highlight our commitment to standing up, speaking out, and taking action on behalf of marginalized communities. It centers and celebrates our distinct goal of liberation for all. The updated work continues the GCSW tradition of providing a compelling and stunning backdrop to share the story of our social work values and distinct professional mandate and calling to fight for social justice.
Black Like Us UHGCSW 2021-03-10 | Please submit your questions: bit.ly/PleaseSubmitYourQuestionJoin us for the fourth annual Black Like Us, A Candid Conversation About the LGBTQ Experience in the Black Community. Held each year during Black history month, Black Like Us centers LGBTQ voices and issues in an event designed to both celebrate and hold space for discussions essential to continued progress.Curated by GCSW community collaborator Harrison Guy, this year we virtually present an intimate evening with award-winning artist, activist, and TEDx speaker, Dominique Morgan. This event is the latest in our yearlong exploration of abolition as a critical framework for change featuring scholars, activists, and writers who lead community conversations about challenging systems and reimagining ways to achieve justice and liberation.As the Executive Director of Black and Pink, the largest prison abolitionist organization in the United States, Dominique Morgan works daily to dismantle the systems that perpetuate violence on LGBTQ/GNC people and individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Partnering her lived experience of being impacted by mass incarceration (which included 18 months in solitary confinement), with a decade of change-making artistry, advocacy, and background in public health, she continues to work in spaces of sex education, radical self-care, and transformative youth development with intentions of dismantling the prison industrial complex and its impact on our communities. Ms. Morgan is a 2020 Ten Outstanding Young Americans Award recipient, NAACP Freedom Fighter Award recipient, and 2020 JM Kaplan Innovation Prize recipient. They are currently completing their capstone project for studies in the Georgetown University - System Involved LGBTQ Youth Scholar Program. SUBMIT your questions for Dominique Morgan: bit.ly/BlackLikeUsQandABLACK LIKE US featuring DOMINIQUE MORGAN• Date: Tuesday, March 9• Time: 4:00 pm CST• The event will be streamed live via Facebook and Youtube
Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium | Part 3/Day 2 UHGCSW 2021-03-05 | Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice SymposiumPart 3: Envisioning an Anti-Racist Future: From Practice to PolicySocial work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. PART 3: Envisioning an Anti-Racist Future: From Practice to PolicyMarch 4 & 5, 12:30 – 4:30 PM Eastern (11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST)
Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium | Part 3/Day 1 UHGCSW 2021-03-04 | Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice SymposiumPart 3: Envisioning an Anti-Racist Future: From Practice to PolicySocial work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. PART 3: Envisioning an Anti-Racist Future: From Practice to PolicyMarch 4 & 5, 12:30 – 4:30 PM Eastern (11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST)
Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium | Part 2/Day 2 UHGCSW 2021-01-29 | Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice SymposiumPart 2: Addressing Racism from within the Social Work Profession: Reflections on our Past and Present.Social work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. *You will only need to register for one day. The ticket you receive will allow you to participate in both days of the symposium streaming live via YouTube.PART 2: Addressing Racism from within the Social Work Profession: Reflections on our Past and PresentJanuary 29, 2021, 12:30 – 4:30 PM Eastern (11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST)
Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium | Part 2/Day 1 UHGCSW 2021-01-28 | Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice SymposiumPart 2: Addressing Racism from within the Social Work Profession: Reflections on our Past and Present Social work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. Addressing Racism from within the Social Work Profession: Reflections on our Past and PresentJanuary 28 & 29, 2021, 12:30 – 4:30 PM Eastern (11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST)
From Silenced to Empowered: Confronting white supremacy work culture and anti-Blackness UHGCSW 2020-12-02 | Marcus Stanley, Masonia Traylor, Dean Alan Dettlaff, Dr. Samira Ali, and Venita Ray will host a panel discussion and presentation on how they are confronting white supremacy work culture and anti-Blackness using their experience with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as an example. They will outline how organizations, such as non-profit, for-profit, governmental, and non-governmental organizations, can perpetuate White Supremacy Work Culture using Marcus’ experience with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as an example and provide a framework/example of how to support and advocate for Black staff. Additionally, we will present the presentation that was accepted by the 2020 Texas HIV/STD Conference and then rescinded by Texas DSHS leadership and provide tools to amplify the voices of the Black staff that have been silenced through the White fragility and systems of oppression and outline next steps for supporting the advocacy of Black Liberation moving forward.
Social Work, White Supremacy and Racial Justice Symposium | Part 1/Day 2 UHGCSW 2020-11-13 | Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium: Reckoning our History, Interrogating our Present, and Re-Imagining our FuturePart 1: Social Work’s Historical Legacy of Racism and White Supremacy (Part 1/Day 2) Social work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Event Start Time(s): 9:3 PST/11:30 CST/12:30 EST
Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium | Part 1/Day 1 UHGCSW 2020-11-12 | Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice Symposium: Reckoning our History, Interrogating our Present, and Re-Imagining our FuturePart 1: Social Work’s Historical Legacy of Racism and White Supremacy Social work has a complex history of upholding White supremacy alongside a goal to achieve racial justice. Moreover, our profession simultaneously practices within racist systems and works to dismantle them. In the wake of a fervent #BlackLivesMatter movement and persistent racial disparities in key social welfare institutions, these paradoxes have come to the forefront of discussion in academic and practice circles. This unique moment presents an opportunity to interrogate our profession’s relationship to White supremacy and racial justice in order to reimagine an anti-racist future.We hope you’ll join us for a four-part series of virtual symposia that will address these themes. Symposium events will occur throughout the academic year and will address different aspects of our past, present, and future. Additional information and specific dates are below. Event Start Time: 9:30PST/11:30 CST/12:30 ESTJoin us Friday, November 13 for Day Two of Social Work’s Historical Legacy of Racism and White Supremacy (Part 1)
upEnding the Child Welfare System: The Road to Abolition UHGCSW 2020-10-21 | Join the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) on Facebook and YouTube for two days of virtual conversations with organizers, activists, scholars, and community leaders. During panel discussions and keynote addresses, we will begin to strategize innovative ways to create a society in which the forcible separation of children from their families is no longer an acceptable solution for families in need.On Wednesday, October 21st from 1-4PM ET, we will hear from two panels (followed by audience Q & A) featuring: Hon. William A. Thorne, Former Tribal and State Court Judge (Trial and Appellate), Facilitator; Abby Abinanti, Yurok Chief Judge; Cheryl Fairbanks; Priscilla Day; Kimm Campbell, Assistant County Administrator, Broward County; and Ned Breslin, Chief Executive Officer, Tennyson Center. These presentations will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube pages Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20-21, from 1-4PM ET.
upEnding the Child Welfare System: The Road to Abolition UHGCSW 2020-10-20 | Join the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) on Facebook and YouTube for two days of virtual conversations with organizers, activists, scholars, and community leaders. During panel discussions and keynote addresses, we will begin to strategize innovative ways to create a society in which the forcible separation of children from their families is no longer an acceptable solution for families in need. On Tuesday, October 20th from 1-4PM ET, we welcome Lisa Sangoi, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Movement for Family Power as our opening keynote speaker. We will also hear remarks from Alan Dettlaff, Dean of the GCSW as well as a lively panel discussion featuring Dr. Alan-Michael Graves, Director of National Programs, Good+Foundation; Tymber Hudson, Youth Organizer; and Joyce McMillan, Parent Advocate, and Founder, PLAN (Parent Legislative Action Network).These presentations will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube pages on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20-21, from 1-4PM ET.
Eyes on Abolition - Amplify Your Voice with Keynote Speaker Derecka Purnell UHGCSW 2020-10-17 | Join us on Facebook and YouTube for the second in our series of virtual events exploring abolition as a critical framework for change. Scholars, activists, and organizers will lead these community conversations about challenging systems and reimagining ways to achieve justice and liberation. Human rights lawyer, writer, and organizer Derecka Purnell will give a keynote for the annual Amplify Your Voice event, our annual community forum offering information and informed analysis of social justice issues. She will share her work to end police and prison violence by providing legal assistance, research, and trainings to community based organizations through an abolitionist framework. The discussion will continue as she joins a panel of experts on criminal (in)justice (Liya Brown), child welfare (Kristen Weber), and immigration (Dr. Jodi Berger Cardoso) for a moderated discussion to examine those systems with respect to harm as well as highlighting efforts to reimagine how to address the societal problems those systems purport to address. This presentation will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube page Friday, October 16th at 3:00 PM (CST) SUBMIT A QUESTIONIf you have a specific question about abolition as a critical framework for change OR a question you'd like to ask our speaker, please submit your question via the link below. All approved questions will be asked during the live event.Q & A Link: http://bit.ly/EOAQandAAmplify PLEASE SAVE THE DATE FOR THE FINAL EVENT OF THE SERIESupENDing the Child Welfare System: The Road to AbolitionTuesday, October 20th 12 - 3 PM (CST) 1 - 4 PM (EST)and Wednesday, October 21st 12 - 3 PM (CST) 1 - 4 PM (EST)
EYES ON ABOLITION UHGCSW 2020-10-05 | Join us on Facebook and Youtube for a three-part series of virtual events exploring abolition as a critical framework for change. Scholars, activists, and organizers will lead these community conversations about challenging systems and reimagining ways to achieve justice and liberation. The first event will feature Dr. Ruth Wilson Gilmore. Professor, renowned activist, public scholar, and cofounder of many grassroots organizations, including Critical Resistance, she is the author of Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, & Opposition in Globalizing. She will lay the groundwork for an understanding of abolition for Social Justice Solutions event, our annual event which invites activists, thought leaders, and the community, to explore action-oriented strategies to affect social change. This presentation will occur LIVE on the Graduate College of Social Work's Facebook and YouTube page Monday, October 5th at 3:00 PM (CST) SUBMIT A QUESTIONIf you have a specific question about abolition as a critical framework for change OR a question you'd like to ask our speaker, please submit your question via the link below. All approved questions will be asked during the live event. Q & A Link: http://bit.ly/EOAQandA Please SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR TWO REMAINING EVENTSAmplify Your Voice - Keynote Derecka PurnellFriday, October 16th @ 3 PM (CST) upENDing the Child Welfare System: The Road to Abolition Thursday, October 21 1 - 4 PM (CST)and Friday, October 22 1 - 4 PM (CST)
The GCSW Community Responds with Social Work Values to the Pandemic and Uprisings of Summer 2020 UHGCSW 2020-08-21 | This video was created to welcome to the 2020 Class of the Graduate College of Social Work as they begin their journey at this historic time of both challenge and opportunity. By way of introduction to our program and the social work profession, we decided to share some of the ways our students, faculty, staff and alumni have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd.
Conversations on COVID-19 | Social Work & Social Justice Perspectives feat Marie Arcos 96 UHGCSW 2020-07-21 | Conversations on COVID-19 continues as GCSW Dean Alan Dettlaff interviews Marie Arcos (MSW '96), Executive Vice President, Government and Community Affairs at YMCA of Greater Houston about how the pandemic is influencing her work and the social work values and perspectives that inform his response.Conversations on COVID-19 | Social Work & Social Justice Perspectives is a series of interviews featuring alumni of the UH Graduate College of Social Work who are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deans Summer Social Justice Reading Series | 2020 Selections UHGCSW 2020-06-15 | Five years ago, we began a tradition of inviting the GCSW community to join our incoming MSW class in their summer reading assignment. Traditionally the first assignment for our MSW students initiates a journey of critical thinking and action related to social justice. This year we have chosen to explore two works in tandem as a means to highlight intersections and inequities. Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts and Citizen by Claudia Rankine are not only timely but necessary. The racial aggressions addressed in Citizen and the harmful effects of incarceration in Felon are topics at the heart of our College’s vision to achieve social, racial, economic, and political justice. Moreover, as we have so painfully witnessed this year, the effects of racism impact all aspects of our society. It is important to us that our students, the next generation of social work leaders, are grounded in understanding the critical role racial justice plays in our profession. The use of poetry by both authors offers opportunities to create an indelible impression on the impact of racism in our society and the chasms of inequity it creates. Through these works, our goal is to heighten awareness on the effects of injustice and its reverberations through the lives of both individuals and communities.
Deans Welcome Message for the 2020 Incoming Class with Summer Social Justice Reading Assignment UHGCSW 2020-06-15 | Traditionally the first assignment for our MSW students initiates a journey of critical thinking and action related to social justice.This year we have chosen to explore two works in tandem as a means to highlight intersections and inequities. Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts and Citizen by Claudia Rankine are not only timely but necessary. The racial aggressions addressed in Citizen and the harmful effects of incarceration in Felon are topics at the heart of our College’s vision to achieve social, racial, economic, and political justice. Moreover, as we have so painfully witnessed this year, the effects of racism impact all aspects of our society. It is important to us that our students, the next generation of social work leaders, are grounded in understanding the critical role racial justice plays in our profession. The use of poetry by both authors offers opportunities to create an indelible impression on the impact of racism in our society and the chasms of inequity it creates. Through these works, our goal is to heighten awareness on the effects of injustice and its reverberations through the lives of both individuals and communities.
Conversations on COVID-19 featuring Casey Malish, (MSW 19) UHGCSW 2020-05-22 | Conversations on COVID-19 continues as GCSW Dean Alan Dettlaff interviews Casey Malish (MSW '19), Outreach Specialist at Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, and Vice President, Houston Harm Reduction Alliance about how the pandemic is influencing his work and the social work values and perspectives that inform his response.Conversations on COVID-19 | Social Work & Social Justice Perspectives is a series of interviews featuring alumni of the UH Graduate College of Social Work who are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
