Community practice and the Afrocentric paradigm

ABSTRACT

Community practice was developed by social reformers after Black people created communities after enslavement. Given America’s apartheid system of segregation, Black social leaders, also referred to as social reformers, were creating institutions and systems that not only attended to human needs but also affirmed culture, family, and traditions. As the Afrocentric perspective reinterpreted African philosophy, socioeconomic/political realities, and culture in the latter 20th century, social workers should apply this point of view within a community practice context to attend to systemic and environmental issues impacting the African American community. This article explores the intersection of community practice and the Afrocentric paradigm that social workers can apply in the 21st century.

KEYWORDS:

• Afrocentric paradigm
• community
• community-defined practice
• social work