February 2022

February 2022

From the Director
Social Work Activism: Seeking Racial, Social, & Political Justice
Doctoral Application Open
Remembering Dr. Dorothy I. Height 
National Association of Black Social Workers' 54th Annual Conference
Upcoming Doctoral Events
Upcoming Masters Events
Update Your Contact Information
Job Opportunities
CSWE Diversity Center’s February Educator|Resource

From the Director Dear MFP Fellows and Alumni:   Happy February!    This month has already been filled with reminders about problems, possibilities, and the purpose of our work.  As members of the BIPOC community, MFP fellows and alumni are uniquely positioned to celebrate milestones like Black History Month and the Lunar New Year while wrestling with the realities of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities and continued violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. What a juxtaposition in the context of racial, social, and economic justice.  So in this issue I want speak directly to members of the CSWE MFP community to simply remind you of your value in this space. Your research and representation are critically important, especially now! Whether you are presenting on a specific topic at CSWE’s 2022 Annual Program Meeting (or elsewhere) or being referred to as “Dr.” in the presence of a younger version of yourself, the physical and intellectual space you occupy is laden with the responsibility to address problems, seek possibilities, and pursue purpose.  The wonderful part about MFP is that our team opens doors and prepares opportunities for you to “take up space.” Within the next few weeks MFP will provide and promote several opportunities. First, there is the opportunity for you to recruit applicants for the MFP doctoral program. Also, there is an opportunity for applicants and those who are intrigued to learn more about MFP and the MFP doctoral application through a series of information sessions.  Additionally, as always, there are opportunities for you to magnify the work of other MFP alumni and current students. This month, we are beginning a Mentoring Monday series with our doctoral fellows, which will highlight the experiences and lessons learned by MFP alumni. We will continue our Lunch and Learn series, designed to prepare current MFPs for employment. Alumni are invited to share with current MFP fellows via these programs. We also have a special set of events in March to support our magnificent MSW MFPs.  Last but not least, there is always an opportunity for MFP alumni to engage in the practice of Sankofa by volunteering to serve as advisory board members, application reviewers, mentors, and guest presenters or by sharing a 1–2 minute video with us that tells about your MFP experience and how it affected you.    Yes, we are intentional about taking up space in the realm of racial, social, and economic justice. We hope you are seeing us do this more intentionally and much more fully as we approach the 50th year of MFP’s existence. Until then, continue mimicking Dr. Dorothy Height by doing the work to be remembered as someone who used oneself and anything available to “work for justice and freedom.”  In Fellowship,   Kesslyn Brade Stennis, PhD  Director, Minority Fellowship Program

 

Social Work Activism: Seeking Racial, Social, and Political Justice  

On January 14, current MFP doctoral fellows and staff engaged in a virtual special interest group session as part of the Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference. The group of about 25 doctoral students was fortunate to be joined by Kimberly Hardy, PhD, MSW. Dr. Hardy has extensive experience in macro and micro social work practice, research, and education. Combining this with her experience in politics, she called on social work professionals to prioritize political participation to maximize impact.  

Doctoral Application Open 

The application for the 2022–2023 doctoral fellowship opened January 24 and closes March 16. Access additional details and application instructions here.  

Since the January 24 launch, CSWE MFP staff members have been hard at work getting the word out. Following an application launch party held for MFP alumni on January 28, staff members presented three information sessions geared toward recruitment from historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities. Two such sessions for potential applicants and university faculty and staff members who engage with them remain. You’re invited to register for one or both sessions below. 

CSWE MFP Information Sessions  

• Asian American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions in Focus: February 10, 7:00 PM (ET)  
• General Doctoral MFP Information Session: February 11, 5:00 PM (ET)

CSWE MFP staff members are also holding a series of application support sessions. The first one took place February 9. Faculty members, staff members, students, and all other interested parties are invited to register for the upcoming session February 16. The final application support session on March 2 is open only to students who have applications in progress. 

Application Support Sessions  

• Zoom Q&A Two: February 16, 7:00 PM–8:00 PM (ET) 
• Zoom Q&A Three: March 2, 3:00 PM–4:00 PM (ET) 
  • Open only to students who have applications in progress.

Please direct questions about application requirements to [email protected].

Remembering Dr. Dorothy I. Height
February is Black History Month, and this year MFP is taking a moment to honor a remarkable Black social work leader, Dr. Dorothy I. Height. Born on March 24, 1912, in Richmond, VA, she dedicated her life to championing civil rights and women's rights. She began her activism in high school, participating in antilynching campaigns of the 1920s. Height applied her social work skills and expertise to better the circumstances of and opportunities for Black women and families in major ways. Dr. Height co-organized the March on Washington in 1963 and stood near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he delivered his famed “I Have a Dream” speech. Just 2 years later, she created the Center for Racial Justice at the Harlem YWCA while serving the community there as a social worker. She ran that center from 1965 to 1977. Later, Height was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. On April 20, 2010, she passed away at the age of 98, but not before leaving the world with the words she lived by: 



Anyone looking for this sentiment in action today need look no further than the ever-expanding MFP community. Since 1974, MFP fellows and alumni have applied themselves—their skills, expertise, experiences, and opportunities—to pursue justice and advance equitable mental health outcomes for and with BIPOC communities. They strive to leverage whichever aspects of the social work spectrum of practice they touch toward meaningful impact in the macro, mezzo, and micro spheres, and they touch everything from policy, to grantmaking, to research, to working directly with individuals and families. Like Dr. Height, they are remembered and honored as ones who tried and succeeded in making remarkable contributions to the social work profession.

National Association of Black Social Worker's 54th Annual Conference 

Registration is open for the National Association of Black Social Workers’ 54th Annual conference, March 9–11, 2022, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile. This is the association’s first in-person conference since 2019, and it promises to be a great mix of training, networking, and edification for the social workers who have been on the frontline serving their communities. This year’s theme is “Ujima: Social Work Outcomes and Strength-Based Solutions.” Learn more and register here. 

Upcoming Doctoral Events 

The MFP is excited to offer Lunch and Learn sessions on the fourth Wednesday of each month. These sessions are designed to discuss matters that are relevant to current MFP doctoral fellows. Alumni interested in sharing their expertise with fellows in such sessions are encouraged to reach out to [email protected] to coordinate. Although tentative, the following topics are being planned for the remainder of the 2022 calendar year. Please register to attend!  

• January: Preparing and Submitting the Conference Proposal (1/26/2022) 
• February: Job Market Matters (2/23/2022) 
• March: Mock Defense (3/23/2022) 
• April: The Road of Article Development (4/27/2022) 
• May: Graduation and Termination (5/25/2022) 
• June: (Article Development)  
• July: (Article Development)  
• August: Doctoral Goal Setting and Scheduling for Success (8/24/2022) 
• September: Committee Selection & Management (9/28/2022) 
• October: Self-Care: MEPPS (Mental, Emotional, Physical, Practical, Spiritual (10/26/2022) 
• November: No Session (CSWE’s Annual Program Meeting)  
• December: No Session (Holiday)  

Upcoming Masters Events

March is Social Work Month and what better way to spend it than in the (virtual) company of social work students/soon-to-be social work professionals? Beginning with a Social Work Month kick-off event on 3/3/2022, the MFP’s MSW fellows will embark on the annual March masters training, held this year as a series during the month of March. Training content throughout the month will be geared toward discussing current mental health/substance use disorders opportunities and challenges, workforce development, and career preparation. Specific sessions will include the following: 

• Licensure Essentials, A Webinar With the Association of Social Work Boards 
• Lessons Learned: A Conversation With Alumni About Graduating and What Comes Next 
• MFP masters alumni are encouraged to email [email protected] to express interest in sharing their experiences and advice as part of the Lessons Learned conversation, set to be held 3/15/2022 at 7 PM (EDT). 
• A Path Forward for Addressing Mental Health in BIPOC Communities 
• LinkedIn for Social Workers

Update your Contact Information

Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? The MFP relies on current contact information for our internal database, which we use to contact alumni and help us prepare our reports for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Please use this link to share your updated contact information. Additionally, you are encouraged to reach out to MFP alumni you are connected with and request that they share their updated information too. Thank you in advance for supporting MFP staff efforts to enhance connectedness within the MFP community.