The Human Lighthouse of Change: Social Work Leaders Across the Generations, Creating New Pathways for Justice and Equity for All

by Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, DPS, MSW, BSW, LCSW

     As we enter Social Work Month, we are challenged to look back, reflect, and lead forward. Our social work pioneers made risky strategic decisions to save a nation from social injustice and civil unrest. Among the many who came before us are Dorothy Height, Jane Addams, Mark Battle, Clara Barton, Whitney Young, Jeannette Rankin, Harry Hopkins, Mary Richmond, Inabel Burns Lindsay, Harriet Reinaldo, Frances Perkins, Barbara Milkulski, and Edolphus Towns, to name a few. Each pioneer changed the social and political landscape and developed new pathways for generations of people. They must never be forgotten. I thank them.

     As social workers, we must continue to evaluate the social work profession, using our collective power to uplift people while challenging and removing oppressive policies and practices. Evidence underscores the vulnerability of marginalized populations in this nation. This includes those who are being detained at our southern border. They are all in need of advocates who deliberately take action.

     Individuals rely on social workers to stand up and speak up on their behalf. Sometimes we can lose our way when we feel frustrated by a system that has limited resources and structural barriers. These limitations and all of their risks can be seen in our foster care system. Sometimes our desire to have foster placements to "just work" can cloud our vision with children feeling pressured to fit into a system that is damaging. It is a system that needs urgent reform in order to provide safety for the next generation.

     Steve Pemberton, someone I greatly admire, highlights some of the risks and consequences of the foster care system. He shares his story through his book, A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, A Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home, and movie, Chance in the World. I strongly urge everyone to read his book, learn the poignant lessons, and affirm that, as social workers, you will protect, defend, and guide those who are in your care. Several of Steve’s assigned social workers failed to acknowledge his verbal and non-verbal clues that were reflected in his everyday reality.

     Steve’s early years were spent learning how to maneuver the maze of a broken foster care system. Unfortunately and regrettably, Steve was placed in care at a very young age with horrific foster parents and spent more than 11 years being mentally and physically abused. The foster parents he was placed with told him that he did not have a chance in the world to go to college or pursue any of his dreams.

     The abuse Steve endured is heart wrenching, yet in spite of institutional ineptness, he succeeded. He uses his energy, time, and resources to ensure that children nationwide have the requisite guidance and opportunities they need to flourish.

     Steve uses a profound analogy when talking about those who helped him. He says they became his human lighthouses. Without judgment, they helped him navigate the numerous perils in his life. Children and youth may not remember each specific worker as they struggle to navigate the day-to-day abuse. As Steve navigated survival, he did, however, instinctively know those individuals he could trust, his "lighthouse keepers." They helped him overcome challenges, validated the adversity he faced, and provided the guidance he needed to develop resilience.

     The lighthouse symbolizes salvation and safety, in the face of adversity. The lighthouse keeper always remains vigilant, stays alert, and navigates a steady path especially under dire circumstances. I do believe that the social work profession is the beacon of hope for our society. In 2020 and beyond, social workers must remain vigilant and use every opportunity to guide, protect, and defend those who are threatened in our society. In fact, the social work code of ethics demands that we do so. 

     If all social workers use their professional voice as advocates, promote policy change, and engage with various systems to obtain sustainable results, we can create new pathways forward, as our pioneers did. Together, we can illuminate the necessary institutional changes. Too many individuals like Steve Pemberton have been caught in bureaucracy that still supports structural oppression. We, as social workers, know that some social services systems are punitive and restrictive; they fail to improve the lives of those caught in their clutches.

     As social workers, we must demand that this nation treat all people with fairness and equity. Silence is not an option. Let the profession shine in order for the social work lighthouse keepers to fulfill their professional duty. If a lighthouse beacon fails, the lighthouse keeper is unable to perform necessary tasks, and generations of people are adrift on a dangerous course. 

     There are more than 750,000 social workers in the United States and its territories, and millions more throughout the world. I urge you to identify as social workers and bravely steer the wheel of social justice to decolonize the myths that reinforce the structural oppression within our diverse world. Social workers, catapult into real change and continue to build a beloved community around the globe, one that heavily bends the arc of justice toward equity for all.

     As President-Elect of NASW, I ask you to join me and other social workers to create generations strong for the future. We need every social worker. I thank each person who is a current member of NASW. I humbly invite all social workers to join your professional association. The profession needs you to not just be a member but to participate actively on all levels. I look forward to working alongside you as we protect those who are in need of our services.

     Lighting the path of social work will take all of us. Together, we will make the difference; together, we will demand freedom, justice, and liberty; and together, we will make the changes that the world so desperately needs and seeks.

     Happy Social Work Month! Let us challenge ourselves and each other to become a “Human Lighthouse.”

Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, DPS, MSW, BSW, LCSW, is an Emerita Professor of Social Work at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and the prior Director/Chairperson of the Undergraduate Social Work Program and President of MCJ Consultants. Joyner is the national President-Elect of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and on July 1, 2020, will be the only social work professional who has served as President of three major social work organizations, including the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Educators (BPD), and NASW.