Adelphi University / New York

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Adelphi Social Work Students Launch Projects for Racial Justice

Garden City, NY (06/03/2021) — This spring, more than 180 Adelphi University School of Social Work students pioneered new efforts to address racial justice. Part of the University's annual social action initiative, groups of students took an innovative, online, approach to the three-month project, focusing on highlighting issues such as the effects of race and racism on criminal justice, health, housing inequity, and race in the media.

Working remotely, undergraduate and graduate student groups created strategies to address racial justice issues through an anti-racist lens, collaborating to design op-eds, videos, pamphlets and social media campaigns. These projects and resources are curated and archived by the social work school for dissemination to Adelphi and the wider communities.

"This initiative is a remarkable achievement for our students and the faculty who made it possible," said Manoj Pardasani, dean of Adelphi's School of Social Work. "We strive to ensure that our graduates become leaders, change-makers and social justice warriors in the communities they serve. This initiative has shown students how they can continue to remain engaged in the world."

For more than 70 years, the school has helped train and prepare social workers who are effective, ethical, thoughtful and engaged practitioners. The social action projects were fostered under the instruction of Adelphi's faculty who worked diligently to develop critical consciousness and skills to help students address pressing social issues.

"Our students' work highlights social work's core values of social justice and equity, and calls for greater efforts to challenge social injustice and strive for social change on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed people," said Dan Kaplan, assistant professor of social work and co-chair of the Social Action Committee.

In addition to this year's social action initiatives, an additional 292 Adelphi social work students participated in the New York State Legislative Education and Action virtual events on racial justice that took place throughout March 2021, including advocating for the New York State Racial Equity Bill, S8209, which aims to amend the executive law to create an Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice.

To view the 2021 Social Action Initiatives, visit padlet.com/sterrana.

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning

Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi offers exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training, with particular strength in our Core Four-Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.

Recognized as a Best College by U.S. News & World Report, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. It serves almost 8,000 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York-just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities-and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.

More than 116,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.

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Media Attachments

Working remotely, undergraduate and graduate student groups from Adelphi created strategies to address racial justice issues through an anti-racist lens, collaborating to design op-eds, videos, pamphlets and social media campaigns.

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