A partnership forged: BSW students and service learning at a historically Black college and university (HBCU) serving urban communities

ABSTRACT

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have a long-standing history of engaging the African-American community. In most instances, these institutions are located in predominantly African-American communities. This article intends to offer a discussion of a pedagogical approach used at an HBCU, located in a large mid-Atlantic city. The purpose of this macro-assignment was an effort designed to prepare BSW students for macro-practice with communities through participation in service-learning projects that involved community engagement with urban communities. Outcomes reflect that students have a vested interest in working with underserved communities, which exemplifies the School of Social Work’s mission; said mission is to fully prepare urban social work leaders who are committed to the alleviation of human suffering, social justice, and the improvement of the quality of life for diverse urban populations.

KEYWORDS:

• Community engagement
• historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)
• macro-practice
• service learning

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Anna McPhatter, Dean of Morgan State University, and Professor Yvonne Greene, Chair of the BSW Department at Morgan State University, and thank them for their unwavering support.