Background

In 2022, CASW and the Association of Black Social Workers (Nova Scotia) completed a joint Reparations for Social Workers of African Descent study with recommendations. This award supports the fulfilment of a recommendation that CASW, in conjunction with its provincial associations, should offer an annual award to an African Canadian social work practitioner for outstanding contributions to the social work profession in Canada.

Since 2022, several provincial Black social work associations and networks have been established and have coordinated into the National Africentric Social Work Circle (NASWC). The NASWC developed the criteria for the Legacy in Africentric Social Work Award.

CASW and the NASWC will coordinate on the selection and presentation of the Legacy in Africentric Social Work Award.

This biennial award is named in honour of Senator Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard, a tireless advocate and leader in originating Africentric Social Work in Canada. The award will be presented every two years, during Black History Month (February).

General Eligibility

  • The nominee must be a current member in good standing of the National Africentric Social Work Circle or a CASW Partner Organization
  • Must have not received the award previously.
  • Nominees must consent to publication of their nomination.
  • Nominees must be of African, Caribbean, or Black descent

Nominee Criteria

  1. Nominee must demonstrate at a minimum of five years of experience across several areas that reflect excellence in Africentric social work practice.

    Context:

    • Contribution to Africentric research takes on the responsibility for the well-being of the community well beyond the research conclusion, while amplifying the voices of participants.
    • A track record of advocating for Africentric policy reform grounded in the principles of connection, community, and holistic healing, to address the harm caused by punitive and empirically unsupported anti-Black racist policies.

  2. African-centered practitioner.

    Context:

    • Nominee demonstrates a decolonized knowledge base that fosters consciousness-raising and collective healing.
    • Nominee reconceptualizes the realities of African people to inform best practices.
    • Nominees should demonstrate the use of culturally relevant and appropriate paradigms for healing, strengthening, and empowering African, Caribbean, and Black individuals, families, and communities.
  3.  A nominee's demonstration of recognition of intersectionality and the use of disaggregated demographic data—particularly in relation to the concept of “concrete ceilings”—should also be evident.

  4. If the nominee served as an elder, mentor, and/or educator, their work should raise awareness of unjust historical and contemporary social conditions and actively seek to ameliorate the impacts of enslavement, destitution, and all forms of anti-Black racism.

    Context:

    • Nominee should demonstrate the application of an Africentric paradigm in education to equip students with the knowledge, values, skills, techniques, and modalities necessary for working with African, Caribbean, and Black Canadians.
       

Nomination and Selection

  • Nomination: Requires a written submission and consent from the nominee. 
  • Selection: Nominations will be reviewed by a joint committee of CASW and the National Africentric Social Work Circles.
  • Deadline for 2027 Award: Submissions must be received on or before December 1, 2026.

 

 
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I confirm that the above-listed nominee has consented to be submitted for this award.
A written submission supporting this nominee's selection for the award. This should include clear descriptions or examples of how the nominee meets the criteria. If a nominee's CV or resume is uploaded, please provide context from the nominator in the Additional Information section.
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Optional if you have already attached a written submission above. If you have additional files or information to support the nomination, please email casw@casw-acts.ca.