This book is about Black social workers breaking barriers and fighting for change, not only for themselves as professionals, but also for their clients and communities. These workers tell their own unique stories in this volume, from gaining entry to social work education to their experiences in social work. They also write about the strategies that made a difference in their lives and the lives of the people they work with.
The first section tells the story of Black Social Workers' entry into the profession and chronicles the poignant story of the life, and eventual death, of the Association of Black Social Workers in Montreal from where it spread to Halifax. In the second section, seasoned Black social workers, each trailblazers in their own right, tell their narratives of studying social work and beginning practice in Halifax in the late 1970s to early 1990s.
The third section spotlights current students who relate stories of their reasons for entering the social work profession and the barriers they face as they pursue their future career goals. The fourth section focuses on Africentric perspectives and puts forward some findings from exploratory research in this area. The final section explores experiences in a social work program which uses the media to expose students to cultures different from their own as well as some of the students' experiences in interrogating the media itself.

Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, is a social worker, educator, researcher, community activist, advocate, and mentor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, a masters of social work degree from Dalhousie University, and a PhD from the University of Sheffield in England. She served as director of the Dalhousie School of Social Work for ten years and has been a faculty member for over twenty-six years, now at the rank of full professor. Bernard’s research interests include work on health and well-being, women’s health, mothering, othermothering and otherfathering, education, and diversity. Thomas Bernard has received numerous awards, certificates and recognition over the years for her trendsetting work and effective community leadership, most notably the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada. She was recently appointed special advisor in diversity and inclusiveness at Dalhousie University.

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