Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Keith A. Alford Honored for Activism and Service

Monday, February 23, 2015, By Michele Barrett
Share
Awards

Last fall, Social Work Degree Guide published a listing of its“30 Most Influential Social Workers Alive Today.” The magazine, which provides information and guidance on social work education and careers, described the honorees as “experts who instigate awareness and advocate for those affected by social disadvantage, such as poverty, abuse, illness, disability or social injustice.” Falk College Associate Professor of Social Work Keith A. Alford was listed ninth on this compilation that includes educators, activists, authors and public servants.

Keith A Alford

Keith A Alford

Alford teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses in human diversity, social work intervention, field instruction, family mental health and social work practice with black families. His students and colleagues also recognize him as a community advocate with leadership service to organizations that include board membership with the Onondaga County Public Library and AccessCNY (formerly Enable/TLS), which provides support for children and adults with disabilities. He facilitates the Community-Wide Dialogues on Race sponsored by InterFaith Works of Central New York, an organization that builds bridges of understanding among people of different religions and across racial divides, where he also sits on the board of directors.

In recognition of his ongoing community service and advocacy, he will receive the 2015 Harriet Tubman Spirit Award from the Bethany Baptist Church on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. at 149 Beattie St. The award presentation is part of the church’s annual Turning Another Page (TAP) Festival, taking place Feb. 26-28 in commemoration of Black History Month. On Feb. 28, Alford will be a featured panelist discussing the film “The House I Live In,” which will be shown that evening at 6 p.m. in the church sanctuary. The documentary offers a detailed look at the profound human rights implications of the war on drugs.

Earlier this year, Alford’s co-edited book, “Rural Families and Reshaping Human Services,” was released, providing essential strategies and programs to address the needs of families in rural communities in a time when services are being dismantled and diminished. Originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Family Social Work, the book organizes its chapters by identification of the needs of rural families, addressing disparities in rural areas, practice in rural communities and human service organizations and professionals. It includes a chapter by Falk College professor of social work Deborah Monahan  titled “Family Caregivers for Seniors in Rural Areas.”

Alford’s areas of research specialization include mental health service delivery to children and families, culturally specific programming for children in out-of-home care, contemporary rites of passage programming and loss/grief reactions among African American families. He currently serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Brief Therapy and the Journal of Family Social Work. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and is a licensed independent social worker for the state of Ohio. He is an active member of the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers as well as an affiliate member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

  • Author

Michele Barrett

  • Recent
  • Syracuse University 2025-26 Budget to Include Significant Expansion of Student Financial Aid
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Light Work Opens New Exhibitions
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Registration Open for Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference July 8-10 in Las Vegas  
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By Matt Michael
  • University’s Dynamic Sustainability Lab and Ireland’s BiOrbic Sign MOU to Advance Markets for the Biobased Economy
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Engaged Humanities Network Community Showcase Spotlights Collaborative Work
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By Dan Bernardi

More In Arts & Culture

Light Work Opens New Exhibitions

Light Work has two new exhibitions, “The Archive as Liberation” and “2025 Light Work Grants in Photography, that will run through Aug. 29. “The Archive as Liberation” The exhibition is on display in the Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery at Light…

Spelman College Glee Club to Perform at Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service June 29

As the grand finale of the 2025 Syracuse International Jazz Fest, the Spelman College Glee Club of Atlanta will perform at Hendricks Chapel on Sunday, June 29. The Spelman College Glee Club, now in its historic 100th year, is the…

Alumnus, Visiting Scholar Mosab Abu Toha G’23 Wins Pulitzer Prize for New Yorker Essays

Mosab Abu Toha G’23, a graduate of the M.F.A. program in creative writing in the College of Arts and Sciences and a current visiting scholar at Syracuse University, has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for a series of essays…

School of Architecture Faculty Pablo Sequero Named Winner of 2025 Architectural League Prize

School of Architecture faculty member Pablo Sequero’s firm, salazarsequeromedina, has been named to the newest cohort of winners in the biennial Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, one of North America’s most prestigious awards for young practitioners. “An…

A&S Cool Class: Chinese Art

Exploring diverse artistic traditions is one way students in the College of Arts and Sciences develop global perspectives and enhance their cultural awareness, necessary for success in today’s connected world. Artworks from around the world, including those from China, offer…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.