As a major component of two core social work courses, Community Learning and Professional Preparation, the School of Social Welfare recently hosted its annual BSW Program, Human Rights Day. The conference brought together students, faculty, and guest speakers to explore the theme of Economic Justice: A Cornerstone of Universal Human Rights and brought this critical topic to the forefront of campus conversation. The day’s events included interactive workshops, and opportunities for students to engage in meaningful conversations about income inequality, community participation, and social programs that promote economic justice, and a thought-provoking keynote address by Dr. Savi Bisnath, Senior Director of Global Policy, Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School.
“The Human Rights Conference provided a unique opportunity for our students to engage with scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to advancing human rights and economic justice. The intersections of research and practice were clear when Abigail Kirkman from Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services (SAMSHA) SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) program, spoke about the Point in Time Count (PIT) and the absolute necessity of going into the community to obtain an accurate picture of what homelessness looks like in each town. The connections between systemic injustice and lack of access to care were overwhelming, and the workshop offered ways that social workers can intervene on both micro and macro levels of practice” said Leah Topek-Walker, LCSW-R, Clinical Associate Professor.
Economic justice is not just a social work issue—it’s a human issue that touches every discipline and community. At its core, economic justice demands the equitable distribution of income and wealth, the protection of employment rights, and the assurance of fair wages and access to sufficient work. The conference highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing these challenges, drawing connections to the fields of Economics, Political Science, Public Health, and Women’s & Gender Studies.
The BSW students were challenged to explore how unjust social structures, policies, and systems intersect with factors like immigration status, gender, race, and other social conditions to create and perpetuate economic disparities. Dr. Bisnath highlighted how these systemic barriers disproportionately limit opportunities for marginalized groups, emphasizing the urgent need to dismantle these inequities and advocate for policies that advance economic justice and human rights for all.
Students expressed enthusiasm for the interdisciplinary perspectives shared during the conference. Faculty members remarked on Dr. Bisnath’s ability to balance conceptual and academic rigor with real-world relevance. One faculty member shared their appreciation for how the speaker provided a thoughtful framework for understanding economic justice while tying it directly to lived social and human experiences, noting, “her address provided a thoughtful conceptual framework while grounding it in the lived social and human experience, making it both intellectually stimulating and deeply impactful.”
“Dr. Savi Bisnath's keynote presentation was a powerful exploration of the intersectionality of rights economic, social, civil, and political and how these categories are deeply interconnected in the pursuit of economic justice. One key takeaway was the concept that economic justice is not simply about redistributing resources, but rather about dismantling the systems that create and perpetuate inequality in the first place. Dr. Bisnath highlighted how the marginalization of certain groups due to race, gender, disability, or immigration status limits their access to basic economic rights like housing, healthcare, and education.”, said Justin Nudelman, BSW Class of 2025.
Faculty members also noted the impact of the event overall, highlighting its success in preparing students for their roles as advocates and practitioners of social and economic justice. Following the keynote, social work students moved into small table discussions facilitated by faculty. These conversations allowed students to reflect on the keynote’s themes and begin applying them to their developing social work practice. One student shared, “the discussions helped me see how these big ideas about economic justice connect directly to the work I’m doing in my practicum and the communities I serve.”
The afternoon workshops delved into the roles of community participation in economic decision-making and the impact of social programs on economic advancement and security, equipping students with practical tools to contribute to a more just and equitable society. This impactful event demonstrated the power of education, dialogue, and advocacy in advancing human rights across disciplines and beyond the classroom.
The planning committee reflected on the day’s structure, describing it as “funneling” from the broad, conceptual insights of the keynote to the practical, skills-based workshops in the afternoon—a design that enabled students to connect big ideas to actionable steps in their future practice.
The day’s success was evident in the enthusiasm and engagement of both students and faculty. As one student noted, “this conference reminded me why I chose social work—to be part of creating a more just and equitable society.”
The BSW program’s Human Rights Conference Day on December 3, 2024, not only deepened students’ understanding of economic justice but also reinforced their commitment to human rights advocacy, equipping them with tools to make a meaningful impact in their future practice.
About the Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Savitri Bisnath, Senior Director of Global Policy, Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School. Dr. Bisnath is a feminist economist with over 25 years' experience working on issues related to international trade, development planning, economic justice, and women's rights from an intersectional point of view. Dr. Bisnath served as Senior Economist with the Surge Initiative at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her talk will focus on the Human Rights Economy--How do we move towards a rights-based economy which centers people, the planet, and human rights in economic policies and programs?”
Dr. Savi Bisnath is the former Senior Economist with the Surge Initiative at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) where she led the team of economists working to center people, the planet and human rights in economic policies and programs. Savi is a feminist economist withover 25 years’ experience working on issues related to international trade, development planning, economic justice, women’s rights from an intersectional point of view, and conflict and natural disasters in countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as well as the UK and the US. She is accomplished at macroeconomic research and policy analysis, and has demonstrated ability to successfully bridge interests of diverse stakeholders, build teams, and foster collaborative efforts. She has worked with academic, civil society, philanthropic and multilateral institutions. Dr. Bisnath has several publications, including Global Tensions: Challenges and Opportunities in the World Economy and the Gender and Development Reader Vols. I & II. She has a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a first degree in Economics from University of California, Los Angeles. She has dual nationality: Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America.
