With a history rooted in the diverse communities that make up Chicago, in 2017 Harold Washington College "revitalized our college mission to reaffirm our commitment to the core values embodied in the work of our namesake mayor and reconnect his legacy to the important work we do today. The majority of HWC students transfer to four-year colleges to continue their academic journey and future success. We are a very small corner of downtown Chicago but are a very busy and vibrant community committed to social change through education" (History).
HWC strives to integrate social justice initiatives into the fabric of life here at the College. Academic department's recognize its importance. Specifically, across it's diverse course offerings, including Africana Studies, Anthropology, Child Development, Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Social Service and Sociology, the Social and Applied Sciences Department recognizes that "each discipline represents a sophisticated and innovative approach to evaluating society, human interaction, social justice, and cultural diversity" while working to "empower students to examine critically and to affect positively their personal, professional and civic lives" (Ferri). Faculty Development Week is also used as an opportunity to share how the academic disciplines integrate social justice into their work. In 2020, Professor Mahan led a presentation, "Accounting/business and Social Justice," to share how they see social justice incorporated into the fabric of the accounting profession, and thus, how they teach it. For more information, the presentation is available here.
The College also hosts events such as the HWC: Social Justice Fair, held in September of 2022, which "provide(d) a a day of celebration and an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to connect with other social justice advocates, learn about volunteering and job opportunities with non profit organizations, and collectively share why they are working towards justice" (Calendar). It also maintains the Chicago Legal Clinic, whose mission "is to identify the legal needs and provide community-based quality services and education to the underserved and disadvantaged in the Chicago area, thereby promoting justice through greater access to the legal system" (Nix). The Chicago Legal Clinic is located on-campus and provides a spectrum of legal services through volunteers.
"Harold Washington: Social Justice Fair," Calendar, CCC, 22 September 2022, https://events.ccc.edu/event/harold-washington-social-justice-fair/. Accessed 17 April 2023.
Ferri, Dominico and Janvier Jones. "Social and Applied Sciences," HWC, https://www.ccc.edu/colleges/washington/departments/Pages/Social-Science-Department.aspx. Accessed 13 April 2023.
"History," HWC, https://www.ccc.edu/colleges/washington/menu/Pages/History.aspx., Accessed 17 April 2023.
Mahan, Bridgette. "Accounting/Business and Social Justice," Presented at HWC Faculty Development Week, HWC, 11 August 2020, https://www.ccc.edu/colleges/washington/departments/Documents/hwcac/presentations/hwcac-presentations-2020-08-accounting-business-social-justice-mahan.pdf. Accessed 20 April 2023.
Nix, Brian. "Chicago Legal Clinic," HWC, https://www.ccc.edu/colleges/washington/departments/Pages/Chicago-Legal-Clinic.aspx. Accessed 17 April 2023.
This CCC News article discusses how Shelley Lemons, Executive Director-Student Transitions in the Office of Student Experience, launched a Transfer Framework for CCC in 2021. She sought to improve the rates of students that successfully transfer and their outcomes by building a transfer framework, partnering with 4-year institutions to create a culture of community for students, and launching a Transfer Advocacy Learning Community. The article explains how successful transfers are a social justice issue by closing the divide we see between our Black and Latinx students and our white and Asian students. For full article, click here.
City Colleges of Chicago. "Staff Perspective: Building a Transfer Community at City Colleges," CCC News, CCC, 10 October 2022, https://news.ccc.edu/2022/10/10/staff-perspective-building-a-transfer-community-at-city-colleges/. Accessed 20 April 2023.