Social work is social justice.
Since its founding in 1918, the Smith College School for Social Work has been pushing the boundaries of the helping professions. The school was the first to offer a formal program for training social workers, the first to offer multicultural courses and training, and one of the first to formally commit to becoming an anti-racist organization. Speaking at the school’s 2024 Commencement ceremony, Dean Marianne Yoshioka (who plans to retire next year) called on graduates to speak out against oppression: “Uplift those we serve, and shape the changes that raise the bar for an ethical and just world.” Professor Mary Hall is pictured at left.