Appreciation for Social Workers Is on the Rise: S.W.A.G. Awards Recognizes Their Hard Work, Impact
THE HONOREES AT THE S.W.A.G. AWARDS, March 22, at the Sheraton Hotel Station Square. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
If you can believe it, the annual Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness Awards, better known as the S.W.A.G. Awards, already has its date set for its 2026 event—March 7. It will be the sixth iteration of the S.W.A.G. Awards, which honors Pittsburgh’s individuals, most of whom are Black, in the often-forgotten field of social work.
It’s best to mark the date on the calendar because the attendance for the event continues to increase.
“We had a packed house,” Nance told the New Pittsburgh Courier about the 2025 event, which was held, March 22, at the Sheraton Hotel Station Square.
HONOREE DR. ROSALIE SMILEY, PH.D, MPH, LSW
The 2025 event’s honorees were Dana Warren, LCSW; Khavah Murray, LCSW, CCTP, CGP; Michelle McMurray, MSW; Dr. Sheila Gillespie Roth, Ph.D, LCSW; Detria M. Dixon, MSW, LSW; Janiece Anderson, LSW; and Vanessa M. Beck, MSW, LCSW. The Social Worker Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to LaToya Hamm-Wilson, LSW, PMH-C; the 2025 There for Me Award went to Sharon Murray; and the Social Work Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Rosalie Smiley, Ph.D., MPH, LSW. Event speakers included Dr. Toya Jones, LCSW, Ed.D., and Dr. Aliya Durham, Ph.D., MSW, MPIA.
HONOREE DETRIA M. DIXON, MSW, LSW
Social work is, quite frankly, a need in the African American community. Amber Martin, the Child and Family Health Wellness Coordinator at Holistic Therapy and Wellness in Ypsilanti, Mich., 45 minutes west of Detroit, has written on her personal blog, viewed by numerous people online, about Black social workers having to deal with issues like poverty, discrimination, education, mental health and access to health care.
Traditionally, many African American families have taught the notion of not speaking about certain problems or issues that occur inside of a home. But that is changing. More African Americans are speaking out about their mental health problems, and more African Americans are calling the field of social work their new profession. A report from the Council on Social Work Education, National Association of Social Workers and George Washington University found that from 2017 to 2019, 22 percent of new social workers who graduated with a MSW (Master of Social Work) were Black.
FOUNDER OF THE S.W.A.G. AWARDS, SHARISE NANCE, LCSW, CCTP
“We started this award ceremony to bring awareness to social workers because social workers were undervalued, underappreciated and obviously underpaid,” Nance told the Courier, April 14. “This ceremony continues to grow year after year. We had people attending who are not social workers who are learning what social workers do, and have become repeat attendees.”
Black social workers can be found everywhere, from their own practice locations, to schools, government agencies and community organizations. And they’re increasingly found being partnered with police agencies. As an example, the Wilkinsburg Police Department partnered with the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work to have students go out on calls with Wilkinsburg police. The two college students, Angela Nickum and Ciera Payne, went with Wilkinsburg police on calls in 2021, and were able to make a difference in some situations that involved kids or an African American who wanted to speak to another African American who was not a police officer.
DR. TOYA JONES, LCSW, ED.D., THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Pittsburgh Police have hired social workers as well, though it wasn’t known as of Courier press deadline the frequency of the social workers’ involvement on police calls.
Nance said that there was one word to describe the newfound attention that social work is getting, and the attention that her awards ceremony is getting: gratitude.
She said that increasingly, “people do care about our work and they want to find ways to support us the best way that they can.”
Just how many Black social workers are there in Pittsburgh, in Allegheny County, in the region? That exact number is unknown, but Nance estimates that she knows about 70 percent of the Black social workers in Allegheny County.
MIKEY HOOD, THE EMCEE. HOOD IS A CO-HOST ON KDKA-TV’s PITTSBURGH TODAY LIVE AND TALK PITTSBURGH. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Whether it’s in the schools, inside the home with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, at the libraries, in private practice or even on police calls, the awareness of social workers—particularly Black social workers—is on the rise. Nance’s S.W.A.G. Awards makes sure those people are being recognized for their hard work.
“We’re creating a movement,” Nance said, “and we’re creating an experience for social workers in this region.”
HONOREE DANA WARREN, LCSW
HONOREE MICHELLE MCMURRAY, MSW
HONOREE DR. SHEILA GILLESPIE ROTH, WITH S.W.A.G. AWARDS FOUNDER SHARISE NANCE
HONOREE LATOYA HAMM WILSON, LSW, PMH-C