Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Reese Foster.
Hi Carmen Reese, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
While I was an Assistant Professor of Practice at UT College of Social Work, I noticed a need for Black social work students to have connection with one another and mentorship from professionals who looked like them. So many students were the first in their family to go to college, let alone graduate school, so they needed guidance on how to navigate the field of social work and support so that they could finish their degree and thrive in the field. It was important to create a system that allowed for professional development, networking,, and connection. This little dream turned into a national non-profit that has professional members all over the country and multiple campus chapters.
We remain laser focused on our mission to “engage, connect, and empower” Black social work students and professionals. Mentoring is our “bread and butter,” and we encourage mentoring from multiple people in each stage of one’s career. This mentoring has overwhelmingly positive mental health outcomes and academic success. I recently conducted a study on the benefits of mentoring to combat racial trauma, and mentoring was definitely a tool that shaped healing, built resilience gave people hope. This is important for Black social workers because connection and relationships give us the confidence and support to practice social work with excellence.
Every year in Nashville, the CBSW hosts a huge conference! The focus is social work but all are invited to come and experience us live out our mission in person. We have a day and a half full of social work experts leading workshops, and we also have time for networking and connection. It is a big social work family reunion that everyone looks forward to every year!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When you are starting a non-profit from scratch, there are always hurdles to overcome: raising money, casting a vision, and building relationships with key partners. One of the benefits of being based in Nashville is its robust social work community! Multiple Middle TN universities have thriving social work programs and professionals are looking to connect and build community. The CBSW was blessed with a group of respected social work leaders who became the founding task force turned Board of Directors. These individuals helped to cast vision for the organization and became its initial donors and supporters. The CBSW has benefited from partnerships with other organizations and universities that have helped it grow and expand. The initial financial support to help the CBSW grow came from grant funds at UTCSW from a donor who believed in seeing social justice in action in the community.
We are still in need of people to help support the vision, and we would love to raise enough money to add paid staff to the organization. Currently, we are all volunteers. Every dollar invested into the CBSW goes right back to the program in the form of scholarships to finish school, social work licensure prep, speakers for our professional development series, and support for networking and campus chapters.
The two things that are constant hurdles for us are constant hurdles for all non-profits: money and time. We need more of both to continue to expand our vision, but we have been so blessed to create a premiere organization from humble beginnings with humble resources. This is truly an example of grassroots organizing, where everyone has an important role to play and is united for one cause.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the Founder and Executive Director of the CBSW, and I am also the MSW Program Director and Assistant Professor at Belmont University. This means that I have the opportunity to teach social work students all day long and then practice what I teach in my CBSW role. My research area is race-based trauma, healing and a little bit of ethics thrown in, so I am able to conduct research and then actually use that research to inform my practice as an Executive Director. These roles also allow me to connect with social work experts all over the country and conducts trainings in communities to give people knowledge that will enhance their practice. It also allows me to pour into social workers. Our work is hard and exhausting. Helping others is truly a calling, not just a job, so being able to encourage social workers to rest, have compassion for themselves, and to remind them that their gifts are valued is one of my life’s greatest joys.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Social work is one of the fastest growing professions in the country. Furthermore, Social workers provide the majority of mental health services in our country. So, our landscape is changing and the need for social workers is so great. Our mission focuses on those who are “vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty,” so that touches everyone. There is a fear that the new Executive Order, which eliminates social work’s professional status, will decrease the amount of people who pursue the profession. However, people are in need. People are hurting. People are dealing with trauma. People are oppressed. As long as this is true, the need for social workers to provide quality, ethical, empathetic care and the need for advocating for such policies will be necessary.
We are here to stay and the CBSW is here to make sure that Black social workers get the connection and support that they need to sustain them in this field.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thecbsw.org
- Instagram: @thecbsw
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecbsw
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coalition-of-black-social-workers/
