Social workers are well-respected by the general public, but their impacts on society aren’t fully appreciated. An Ipsos poll found that 81% of respondents who interacted with social workers reported improvements to their lives. This poll also found that respondents didn’t know the influence of social workers on the civil rights movement (28%) or the creation of federal programs like Medicare (34%).

This is a critical moment for an expanded commitment to social justice in social work. Seventy-four percent of Americans believe their children will be worse off than they were as children because of growing economic inequality. The CDC identified a nationwide mental health crisis in 2024 with increased diagnoses of depression across age groups. Social work professionals can positively impact individuals and communities with a consistent commitment to social justice. We can see these impacts in the accomplishments of social workers since the late 19th century.

 

Social Work’s Historical Role in Social Justice Advancements

The National Association of Social Work (NASW) traces the profession’s origins back to 1898, when the first college courses in social work were offered. From the start, social workers have led campaigns for equity and justice across society. The innovators below demonstrate the impacts of social workers on major social issues in America.

Ida B. Wells and the Anti-Lynching Fight

Wells was a journalist and teacher who is credited as one of the founders of modern social work by NASW. She reported on white violence against African Americans in the late 19th century, including 1892’s Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases. Her articles were distributed to black newspapers throughout the country, thus raising awareness and mobilizing against further violence.

Her work extended from the anti-lynching struggle to equal education and women’s suffrage. She advocated against segregated schools in Chicago and founded the Alpha Suffrage League. Wells also worked with fellow innovator Jane Addams on the establishment of settlement houses to assist black people migrating from the South to Chicago.

Frances Perkins, Harry Hopkins, and the Social Safety Net

The Great Depression took hold of the United States in the early 1930s, leading to expanded federal assistance programs. Two social workers - Frances Perkins and Harry Hopkins - were involved in shaping social safety net programs that helped millions of Americans. Perkins advocated for a minimum wage law, the Social Security Act, and the National Labor Relations Act. Hopkins was responsible for leading agencies like the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration that provided aid and jobs to struggling Americans.

Perkins and Hopkins spent considerable time as social workers before their appointments to federal positions. Perkins worked in settlement houses in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York before her appointment to the New York State Industrial Commission. Hopkins served with the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the American Red Cross, and the New York Heart Association before serving in the federal government.

Lester Blackwell Granger and Racial Integration

Segregation became a major political and social issue in the United States after World War II. Lester Blackwell Granger was a key figure in the desegregation effort, starting with the U.S. Navy. His road to influence on national policy began with a graduate degree in social work and time spent as a practicing social worker.

Granger was a consultant to the U.S. Navy and advocated for a desegregation order issued by President Harry Truman in February 1946. He and three other activists met with President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 in support of national civil rights legislation. Granger was also credited with successful unionization efforts among black defense workers during and after World War II.

 

Social Work’s Commitment to Equity and Justice

Social workers help clients of all ages through difficult moments in their lives. Navigating these challenges may involve treating mental health illnesses, connecting clients to relevant services, and assisting them in improving interpersonal skills. The consistent thread, however, is a commitment to equity and justice as shown by Wells, Perkins, Hopkins, and countless other social workers.

This commitment is written into the NASW’s Code of Ethics. Social justice is one of six core values in the code, joining foundational concepts like:

• Service
• Dignity and Worth of Person
• Importance of Human Relationships
• Integrity
• Competence

Social workers are asked to challenge social injustice on behalf of “vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people” by the NASW Code of Ethics. This work involves increasing access to resources and opportunities for community participation for their clients.

 

Who Do Social Workers Work With?

Social work professionals find opportunities to advocate for equity and justice daily. A three-year study of new Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates found that their most common practice setting was nonprofit or charitable organizations. Two-thirds of respondents worked elsewhere, including:

• Outpatient healthcare services
• Local, state and federal agencies
• Hospital inpatient facilities
• K-12 schools
• Private practices

Recent MSW graduates help clients in high-need populations, no matter their employer or practice setting. Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported that more than half of their clients earned at or below the federal poverty level. Social workers also commonly work with clients in the following categories:

• Medicaid eligible (66.9%)
• Mental health disorders (65.8%)
• Substance use disorders (35.1%)
• Involvement in the child welfare system (34.4%)

 

Examples of Social Justice in Social Work

Individuals and communities change over time, requiring dynamic approaches by social workers. There is no such thing as a typical day for a social worker, but the following examples show how professionals promote equity and justice in their roles:

Treating Clients, Not Assumptions

Julie Cooper Altman, LCSW, Ph.D.,detailed her work reuniting children with their parents in a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) case study. She recognized her negative first impressions of the parents, whose five children were placed in foster or relative care due to neglect. This acknowledgement allowed her to build relationships with the family, who had contentious relationships with other service providers.

Altman made herself vulnerable to the parents, thus humanizing the wraparound services provided by her agency. She identified opportunities for the family to build coping and communication skills while working with service providers to meet the family’s specific needs. This empathetic approach led to family reunification and offers a blueprint for engaging marginalized clients.

Tracing Client Challenges to Community Issues

Social Work Today presented the story of a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) named Deb. After earning her MSW, Deb opened a practice focused on clients dealing with loss and trauma. She counseled a client who was abused by her husband and sought a new place to live.

Deb found that the treatments for the long-term effects of domestic violence could not be limited to therapy. Her client could not find an affordable apartment due to the high cost of living in their city. Deb joined an affordable housing coalition and devoted some of her time to lobbying state legislators for housing solutions. 

LCSWs like Deb extend their reach from mental health services to community advocacy out of necessity. Their clients face challenges bigger than missed bills or health symptoms and share many of these challenges with their neighbors. Social workers learn to use evidence-based treatments, community outreach, and advocacy as they complete their degrees.

 

Expanding Your Impact with an MSW

Graduates of MSW programs find plenty of opportunities to advance social justice in social work. They can provide counseling services through independent practices, nonprofits, government agencies, and health care providers. MSW degrees also offer strong foundations for leadership roles at the local, state or national level.

As you consider your next steps, it is important to find the right social work program for your professional goals. An innovative degree combines a rigorous curriculum, experienced faculty and a reputation for academic excellence. St. Bonaventure’s Online MSW hits all of these marks while emphasizing values like intellectual curiosity and service to others.

 

How Can St. Bonaventure University Advance My Social Work Career?

Our Online Master of Social Work is an innovative program with 100% online coursework. Future clinical social workers can complete their degrees in as little as 31 months of part-time study. Graduates of the Master of Social Work program carry our core values of compassion, wisdom, and integrity throughout their careers.

Our program’s courses and practicum hours are divided between foundational and advanced years. Students complete 400 practicum hours and courses like Human Behavior in the Social Environment and Social Work Interventions. The advanced year curriculum includes 500 practicum hours and coursework, including:

• Clinical Practice with Families
• Integrated Clinical Assessment and Differential Diagnosis
• Social Policy, Justice, and the Law
• Trauma-Informed Clinical Social Work Practice

We offer a great return on investment for your time, energy and money. Tuition for the online Master of Social Work is competitive among other programs in the discipline. Bonnies across all academic disciplines benefit from our strong reputation, including the following regional ranks from the U.S. News & World Report:

• No. 6 in Best Value Schools
• No. 14 in Most Innovative Schools
• No. 17 in Regional Universities North

Learn more about our transformative program and connect with an enrollment advisor today to discover the SBU difference.