The Moynihan Report at 60: Impact and Reflection (Live In-Person)

In-person workshop.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan authored The Negro Family: The Case for National Action. His 1965 report drew national attention to racial inequality and poverty, while controversially characterizing challenges in Black communities as rooted in family instability. Sixty years later, the UB School of Social Work invites you to reflect on the report’s legacy.

Keith A. Alford, PhD, dean of the School of Social Work, will moderate a panel exploring the report’s historical context, its influence on social welfare, education, urbanization, stereotypes, and health inequities, and its lasting impact on social work with Black families. Attendees will gain tools to apply culturally responsive, anti-racist frameworks.

Learning Objectives:

1. Analyze the historical context, major arguments, and controversies of the Moynihan Report.

2. Evaluate the Moynihan Report’s influence on U.S. social policy and public perceptions of Black families.

3. Identify the ways in which narratives from the Moynihan Report continue to shape structural inequities and inform contemporary challenges in social welfare, education, urbanization, identity perceptions, health inequities, and policy.

Research:

Alford, K.A., Denby-Brinson, R. W., Logan, S. L. M., & DeLoach-McCutcheon, K. P. (2015, October). The Moynihan Report: Lessons learned 50 years later. Presented at the Council on Social Work Education 2015 Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO.

PBS. (2024, March 29). Explaining the “Moynihan Report” [Video]. American Masters. https://www.pbs.org/video/explaining-the-moynihan-report-43oqki/

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Policy Planning and Research. (1965). The Negro family: The case for national action. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Target Audience: social workers, mental health practitioners, marriage and facility therapists, psychologists, case managers, and other interested individuals.

We are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.

ADA Accommodations: If you require any support for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.