The School of Social Work’s 63rd Convocation honored over 300 MSW and PhD graduates as well as honorary Doctor of Public Service degree recipient Ronald Chisom.
Photo: Civil rights pioneer Ronald Chisom received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from UMB. Photo: Matthew D'Agostino
Progress can be a nonlinear, slow climb, and the same can be said for social workers advocating for justice. It takes patience, resilience, hard work, and a few tears along the way.
As civil rights pioneer Ronald Chisom wiped his tears away May 19 standing on the Lyric Baltimore stage in front of over 300 University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW) graduates and their families applauding and cheering, it was clear that his journey is an emotional one.
“I just want to acknowledge the University in amidst of this climate to be willing to bring this acknowledgment to me is unbelievable because the way the universities are being challenged is unbelievable,” said Chisom, who received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Chisom, affectionately known as Brother Ron, is co-founder of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), based in New Orleans. His journey began in New Orleans, where he organized tenants in public housing, successfully sued landlords to improve inhumane living conditions, and inspired communities to take collective action.
His anti-racism training model and the organization’s Undoing Racism Community Organizing inspired the SHARP (Structural oppression, Historical trauma, Analysis of role, Reciprocity and mutuality, Power) framework developed by Wendy Shaia, EdD, MSW ’01, clinical professor at UMSSW and executive director of the Center for Restorative Change. The SHARP framework is now integrated into the school’s curriculum, faculty development, and student learning experiences.
As Chisom and other speakers referenced, it takes special people to stand up and fight on behalf of others. The Master of Social Work and PhD graduates at UMSSW will be on the forefront of that battle.
“Higher ed is grappling with financial cuts, job losses, the dismantling of key programs and initiatives, and actions and attitudes reminiscent of the pre-Civil Rights era,” said UMSSW Dean Judy L. Postmus, PhD, ACSW. “However, it is during moments of uncertainty and injustice that social workers emerge. Social workers are needed now more than ever.”