From left to right: BLI Coordinator Malaka Mims, BLI student Mary Jackson, BLI Chair Karen Bullock, BLI student D’Andra McKoy, BLI student Steffline Rosemond, and BLI student Jimisha Williams. Courtesy photo.
Transformative. Empowering. Validating.
These are some of the words that students at the Boston College School of Social Work use to describe the Black Leadership Initiative, a cohort-based program designed to prepare MSW practitioners to tackle issues facing the Black community.
“This initiative has aided me in recognizing my own potential, finding and embracing my voice as a West Indian African American, and helping me understand that I can use my experiences in my practice toward advocacy, support, and meaningful change,” said Mary Jackson, a second-year student in the BLI.
Jackson, along with fellow second-year students Jyllian Foster, D’Andra McKoy, and Steffline Rosemond, discussed how the BLI has shaped their development as practitioners at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Social Workers, which convened thousands of social workers, clinicians, and thought leaders in June in Washington, D.C.
The students presented as part of a symposium, “Promoting the Multifaceted Landscape of Social Work Practice in the Face of Adversity: A Black Leadership Initiative,” led by BLI Chair Karen Bullock, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management Paula Coutinho, and former faculty member Whitney Irie.
They credited the BLI for helping them grow as practitioners through a specialized curriculum focused on African-centered approaches to social work practice, saying support they have received from both their classmates and professors has encouraged them to lead with purpose, embrace curiosity, and step outside their comfort zones to seek new opportunities.
Jackson said her peers encouraged her to run for a leadership position within the Student Collective, the primary governing body for BCSSW students. She was eventually elected co-president—a role she might not have earned had it not been for her cohort’s support.
McCoy and Foster said one of the BLI’s greatest strengths is the sense of community they’ve found among classmates and faculty.
“ This initiative has aided me in recognizing my own potential, finding and embracing my voice as a West Indian African American, and helping me understand that I can use my experiences in my practice toward advocacy, support, and meaningful change. ”
“The connections that I have made with my classmates and professors have been invaluable,” said Foster. “I feel like I have been given this beautiful opportunity to cultivate meaningful relationships that will stretch beyond graduate school to my career.”
As McCoy put it: “My relationships with my classmates have made me positively re-evaluate the expectation of friendships in adulthood and in my professional career. I also would like to highlight the relationships that I have with my professors. At one point, I thought it wasn’t possible for me to have meaningful relationships with my professors, but being in the BLI has altered my perspective on this.”
Bullock, the Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor, said the conference helped students see themselves as future leaders who represent the core values of the NASW Code of Ethics, including dignity, competence, and social justice.
She plans to recruit and retain more MSW students interested in the BLI, a strategy that includes promoting the program at future national conferences.
“What stood out to me as I listened to students share their experiences is that the BLI is having far greater impact than I imagined,” said Bullock, who began a three-year term as president of NASW on July 1. “Going forward, I would like to create more engagement opportunities to bring together BLI alumni, current students, and prospective students.”
Jackson said her experience in the BLI has prepared her to center the act of accompaniment, walking alongside individuals, families, and communities with humility, empathy, and a commitment to honoring their lived experiences.
“I hope this leads me to be a social worker who accompanies my community, my clients, and others in the field, leading with the importance of championing human relationships and connectivity,” said Jackson.