Dear Professionals, Partners, and Friends,

As we commemorate Child Abuse Prevention Month, we want to express our deepest gratitude to all of you who work tirelessly to prevent child abuse in African American children, adolescents, families, and communities. Your dedication to building strong, safe, and healthy families has not gone unnoticed, and we appreciate the support you provide to families as they navigate systemic racism and state-sponsored violence.

We know that you have embraced the most effective methods of healing for people of African descent. Research has shown that Afrocentric Social Work practice, delivered by people of African descent, is best for mental health treatment. By working towards advancing Afrocentric Social Work, we can provide healing to our communities.

As we work towards African American liberation, we must strive for spiritualism, interdependence, and transformative behavior based on African-centered values. Healing should be framed as transformative justice and political involvement, with motivational interviewing used in the African American community. Although we have made some progress, we still have much work to do.

According to Gilbert et al. (2009), the challenge is to shift from Eurocentric practice to Afrocentric approaches. Lateef et al. (2022) agree with Gilbert et al. (2009) and argue that the success of Afrocentric models will depend on continued research. Therefore, increasing peer-reviewed publications to build knowledge of Afrocentric evidence-based programs is essential.

The success of our people will depend on all of us, including counselors, social workers, educators, nurses, beauticians, barbers, and others, spreading love through Afrocentric principles such as spirituality, collectivism, and transformation in Afrocentric practices like Unity Circles. The principles of Maat represent a psychological, spiritual, and cultural system that reflects a sense of self that translates through the seven principles of Nguzo Saba: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. It is crucial to shift from Eurocentric to Afrocentric treatment approaches (Gilbert et al., 2009, p.5).

We urge you to continue your efforts to prevent child abuse in African American communities. Your dedication and hard work have made a significant impact, and we are grateful for your continued support. Together, we can build a brighter future for our communities.

Respectfully,

The CABSW Executive Board

References

Gilbert, D. J., Harvey, A. R., & Belgrave, F. Z. (2009). Advancing the Afrocentric paradigm shift discourse: Building toward evidence-based Afrocentric interventions in social work practice with African Americans. Social work, 54(3), 243-252.

Lateef, H., Amoako, E. O., Nartey, P., Tan, J., & Joe, S. (2022). Black youth and African-centered interventions: A systematic review. Research on Social Work Practice, 32(1), 3-12.