Wednesday, February 1
From the Pen of the President: February 2012
February is Black History Month. It is the month set aside to celebrate the achievements and positive contributions of African Americans around the world. Although we should celebrate these great men and women throughout the year, February is a month to reflect, be thankful, and celebrate so many wonderful people who have often gone unacknowledged yet gave so much of their lives to affect change in their communities and in the world.
The civil rights movement and learning about those who fought tirelessly for the rights of African Americans was the first of many introductions to social work that I can recall. I remember reading about so many individuals who found it necessary to fight, putting themselves in harm’s way so that African Americans could attain simple rights like sitting at a lunch counter in a Woolworth’s store, sharing the same water fountain, the freedom to choose any seat on a public bus, attending certain schools, and so forth. I would be in awe of the strength of these people and the tenacity that they showed in fighting for what they believed in. I must also say that there was another part of me that wondered if it was really worth it. Sadly, in my young mind, I felt that the price seemed too high to pay. I didn’t think that people should have to die so that I could have these rights.
As I grew older, I began to realize that if these courageous civil rights leaders and workers had not made the sacrifices that they made, I would not be afforded the rights that I have today and because of this, I will never forget those whose shoulders on which I stand. Although many gains were made over the years, it is very clear in the current political and social climate that there is still much work to be done. I am reminded of a Bible verse that says: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask more” (Luke 12:48b KJV). I made the choice to go into the field of social work because I have a responsibility. I have been given opportunities because of those who have gone on before me, and I owe it to the next generation to continue in the struggle and to fight for social justice and civil liberties.
I make it my life’s work to educate young people on the importance of social advocacy and instilling in them how important it is to stand up for those who don’t believe that they have a voice. I work daily with children and families to ensure that they are provided with all of the tools that they need to keep their families strong and their children safe. Equal educational programs, employment opportunities, housing, and access to mental health treatment are still critical areas in which social advocacy continues to be needed, and I am encouraged by those leaders of the past that set such strong examples on what it means to advocate for change.
I salute you, Whitney M. Young, Jr., Dr. Dorothy I. Height, A. Philip Randolph, Mary Church Terrell, Ida B. Wells, Marian Wright Edelman, John Hope, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, Daisy Bates, Rosa Parks, the Little Rock nine, Ruthie Bridges, and all of those who made huge sacrifices so that I and others like me could live better lives.
Yolanda Jordan, MSW, LCSW, has an extensive background in abuse/neglect issues in the field of child welfare. As a placement manager with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she is responsible for managing supervisors who are responsible for children who are placed in the foster care system. Yolanda is also a practicing psychotherapist and has been in private practice for the past ten years. Services are provided to children, couples, and families with a special emphasis on relationship issues that African American women face.
Yolanda is a graduate of Western Illinois University where she received her bachelor of arts in mass communications and master of arts in public communications human relations with a minor in African American studies. Due to her extreme love for people and having the heart of a servant, she continued her education and received a masters in social work with an emphasis on child and family practice from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work. Yolanda has been an active member of the NASW Illinois since 1996 and enjoys the work of advocating for the profession of social work and the community that social workers serve.
