A social work imperative: recruiting African American males into the profession.

Abstract: This article outlines why it is important that the social work profession take affirmative steps toward recruiting African American males into the field. Also described are the results of a qualitative research project on factors related to a social work career choice by African American male undergraduate students. Implications for the profession and African American families are discussed. Keywords: Recruitment; Social Work Education; African American Families; African American Males; Career Choice; Social Work African American families and communities have been their own source of support and help from their earliest days in this country, even before the social work profession was born (Billingsley, 1968; Lum, 1992; Martin, 1985). Where settlement houses existed in cities in the north to aid immigrants, African Americans took care of themselves, their families, and their communities. Through the years, political and social welfare responses to needs of African Americans have sometimes not supported this helping tradition of Black families and communities. How has social work as a profession supported the efforts of African American families and communities? Social work as a profession grew out of both the settlement house social action movement and the Community Organization Society (C.O.S.) casework movement. Before they were written, the values of the profession were grounded in social justice and equality. Later, formal sanctioning bodies such as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) took responsibility for providing guidelines for the profession. More and more emphasis has been placed on the importance of social workers advancing the cause of social justice and fighting oppression and discrimination. As social workers we are taught to act on these values as we work with individuals, families, groups, and communities. NASW, as the political arm of the profession, keeps these values before policy makers as it attempts to influence policies that affect all people, including African Americans. CSWE does its part by monitoring schools of social work to make sure these values are upheld in the institutions that prepare social workers for practice with diverse groups. So what else can social work as a profession do to uphold the values of social justice and equality, as well as support African American families and communities? One area that has not been researched enough is the need for more African Americans males in the profession. Statistics on males in undergraduate programs of social work show that the number of males, including African American males, is very low (personal communication, Lennon, 3/31/97). The social work profession advocates a strength-based approach in all our work with clients and systems that impact them. But have we truly appreciated the strengths of African Americans to help themselves and tried to support that effort by simply attempting to provide more trained social workers that are African American and male? This paper explores the issue of recruitment of Black males into social work and elaborates why this is an important topic for discussion and future action. Also discussed is a study conducted by this writer that researched social work as a career choice of African American males in order to gain hints about more effective recruitment strategies. PROBLEM STATEMENT Concern exists regarding the shortage of African American male social workers, a shortage that seems to be increasing (Berger, 1989; Harris & My les, 1995; Jones & Jordan, 1984). Astone and Nunez-Wormack, (1990) projected that minorities would be 30 percent of the American population by the year 2000, and that percentage will continue to grow. African Americans are the largest minority group. Studies indicate a preference on the part of African Americans for counselors who are African American (Pearson, 1984; Smith, 1982; Wilson & Stith, 1993). …