Social Justice in Social Work | School of Social Work at Adelphi

There is a larger purpose to all we do at the School of Social Work.

At our School of Social Work, all our teaching, our research, and our work in New York communities is motivated by our commitment to bringing about change. We believe in social justice, and we are working to attain it by addressing disparities in areas across society.

A Deeper Understanding of Identity

School of Social Work Professor Wahiba Abu-Ras, PhD, hopes her students “dig deep into the issue of social identities” through her research on belonging. Individuals, she said, have multiple social identities—with race, gender, class, sexual orientation and disability overlapping and interacting in complex ways. Her hope is for a more inclusive campus and society.

Culturally Responsive Initiatives

Center for Nonprofit Leadership

Providing organizations on Long Island with the guidance and resources needed to serve their communities’ needs, while helping people of color prepare for leadership positions in nonprofits.

Strengthening Community Organizations

Institute for Adolescent Trauma Treatment and Training

As many as two-thirds of young people up to age 16 have experienced a traumatic event in their life. The School of Social Work is helping fill the need for counselors expert in treating young victims of complex trauma.

Helping Victims Heal

Journal: The Adelphi Advocate

The Adelphi Advocate is a student-led, peer-reviewed, open-access journal highlighting scholarship devoted to advocacy, social change, and policy reform by social work students from around the country.

Read the latest issue

Real Cases Project

The purpose of the Real Cases Project is to broadly expand knowledge and skills of students and faculty concerning social work practice in a public child welfare context. This approach promotes public child welfare as an important arena for professional practice, policy and research, and suggests that students can apply what they learn in other settings.

A model for child welfare infusion

Jessica Karim, BSW ’22 2021 BSW Student of the Year

Social Action Initiative

Social action is integral to social work practice and therefore to social work education. Each spring, our Social Action Initiative helps prepare undergraduate and graduates students for their role as advocates for social change, engaging them in projects addressing a common and pressing issue facing communities across New York and the nation.