Professor Adam Schneider has been honored by the Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers as the 2023 Social Worker of the Year. The award recognizes his accomplishments as educator, activist, and fighter for social justice.
His noteworthy activities have extended to the struggle for universal health care in the U.S.; abolishing the exploitation of our incarcerated neighbors in American prisons and the complicity of public institutions; organizing adjunct faculty in private colleges to improve their working conditions and pay; and conducting outreach to people living on the streets. Professor Schneider embodies the social work principles of amplifying the voices of those who are ignored and integrating service and advocacy on the micro-social, meso-social, and macro-social dimensions. It is not unusual to find Professor Schneider feeding hungry folks as he travels to a demonstration to increase the supply of affordable housing or to address the results of institutional racism. Among his most important contributions to the discipline of social work and our community in general has been his leadership in anti-racist activities; he is transforming the graduate curriculum to incorporate concepts of structural racism and oppression, both as standalone courses and as mandated aspects of all other courses. He has been conducting student tours of historical civil rights landmarks and is the faculty advisor for the student Anti-Oppression Work Group, the faculty Diversity and Anti-Oppression Committee, and and Social Workers for Equity and Anti-Racism.
Faculty, staff, and students benefit from his leadership in so many aspects of justice - we owe him a sincere debt of gratitude.