Hidden Histories of Social Work: Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay

Originally Published in NASW-NJ FOCUS, January 2021.

Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay (1900-1983)

This month we remember the life and work of Inabel Burns Lindsay (1900-1983), first Dean of the Howard University School of Social Work. Under her leadership, the Howard University School of Social Work became the second accredited school of social work in the country to serve black students. 5 Dr. Lindsay has been named an NASW Social Work Pioneer. Among her noted accomplishments were her contributions to the socio-cultural perspective in social work practice and advocacy for the Black elderly. Her biography on the Howard University website notes, “Her lifetime as a champion for social justice was and remains an extraordinary accomplishment.” 6 Dr. Sandra Edmonds Crew, current Dean of the Howard School of Social Work has referred to Dr. Lindsay as “the moral conscience of our profession.” 7

Inabel Burns Lindsay was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on February 13, 1900. According to her Howard University bio, the Burns family “placed a high priority on education and achievement.” 8 She became keenly aware of racial discrimination as a young student, which sparked her desire to break down barriers and promote social justice. 9 Later in life, she would help bring the social work profession to “a new understanding of the importance of culture” and set the example of an academic leader who is a passionate voice for social justice. 10

Young Inabel began her studies at Howard University at age 16. During her time as a student she was actively involved with campus activities, including membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and founding the Howard Chapter of the Women's Suffrage League. 11 In 1920, at the age of 19, she received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Howard.

She was next selected as an Urban League Fellow and began studies at the New York School of Social Work. She later received the Master of Arts in Social Work degree from the University of Chicago(1937) and the Doctor of Social Work degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1952). 12

According to her Howard University bio, prior to joining the faculty of Howard University, Dr. Lindsay taught in the Kansas City public school system, where she “developed innovative methods in teaching at-risk children.” 13 Additionally, she carried out research for the National Urban League in cities that were experiencing racial unrest and developed recommendations for addressing their needs. She would go on to become an administrator in the public welfare system and played a major role in the development of public welfare policies and programs during the Great Depression.

In 1937, Dr. Lindsay joined the Department of Sociology at Howard University as an instructor and assistant in charge of social work. She would eventually become the first Dean of the social work school, a position she would hold until her retirement in 1967. 15 She was instrumental in the development of a curriculum that “reflected an appreciation of how racial, social, and cultural factors were reflected in the needs of people and how people were influenced by those factors.” 16

According to her biography published on the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration website, while she was Dean at Howard, Dr. Lindsay participated in boycotts against the racial segregation of federal cafeterias and other facilities and was investigated by the U.S. House of Representatives Un-American Committee for her activism. She also helped find field placements for black students and accordingly helped desegregate several federal agencies. 17 Dr. Lindsay published many survey papers and articles on community leadership, the elderly, and black participation in social welfare. 18 She spoke often about the linkages between race, culture, and social work practice, and authored the important paper, “Race as a Factor in the Caseworker’s Role,” published in 1947. 19

Dr. Lindsay’s work was both national and international in nature. In 1958, she traveled to Scandinavia for the State Department to survey social welfare programs for the aged and for dependent children. In 1960, she helped foundJamaica's School of Social Work and developed staff training for the Virgin Islands' social welfare department. From 1968 to 1970, she was a member of the executive women's corps of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. 20

Dr. Lindsay was a delegate to the 1966 White House Conference on Civil Rights and served on the D.C. Public Welfare Advisory Board. She was a consultant to the House and Senate committees on aging. She served on the board of the National Urban League and was secretary of the board of the National Council on Aging. She was chairman of the D.C. chapter of the American Association of Social Workers, a pre-cursor to NASW. 21

She received the distinguished alumnus award from Howard University in 1961 and the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. 22 In 1982, Dr. Lindsay was awarded the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, by Howard University. She died not long after in 1983. Her bio from Howard University claims “her teachings and legacy lives on through the many leaders that the Howard University School of Social Work has produced.” 23

In 1985, two years after her passing, the School of Social Work building at Howard University was renamed after her—"a permanent acknowledgement of the outstanding contribution of a Black woman to [Howard University’s] history and social work education." 24