Famous Faces of Social Work
People from all walks of life are called to the social work profession. While their paths may diverge and go other directions along the way, the depth and meaning of a career in social work makes a lifelong impression. Read on to learn about some former social workers, turned celebrities, who are still making a difference in the world.
The most famous of all former social workers is Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. (Leroy) Jackson, who grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, under the strict guidance of his grandmother. He learned to play the trumpet and the French horn, and became politically active in the Model United Nations while in high school.
Jackson went on to attend Morehouse University in Atlanta, Georgia, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. His activity in protests and political movements calling for greater equality planted a seed that would soon bring him to the streets of Los Angeles as a social worker. After a few years in the profession, he caught the acting bug and followed his dreams.
The actor has appeared in over 100 films – including his 1994 breakout role as Jules in the movie “Pulp Fiction.” But Jackson has never stopped being socially active in his work, despite his fame and fortune. As of January 2014, he began starring in public service announcements for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and Stand Up to Cancer, to help educate people about childhood cancer and pediatric oncology.
Another notable individual who followed a path into social work is award-winning writer and poet Alice Walker. We know Walker for her critically acclaimed works including “The Color Purple,” for which she became the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. While this accomplishment set the stage for many future successes, Walker started life on the wrong side of the tracks, in Eatonton, Georgia.
She grew up as the eighth and youngest child of sharecropper parents, living in poverty in a time of violent racism in the South. Still, Walker was able to rise above her circumstances earning scholarships to Spelman College in Atlanta and Sarah Lawrence College in New York. After graduation, she was active in civil rights and voter registration. She also worked in New York City’s welfare department helping others through social work.
Today, Walker remains passionate about human rights and travels the globe to help people suffering from economic, spiritual and political oppression. The heart of a social worker continues to beat strongly in this defender of those who cannot always fight for themselves.
Other people who achieved social work degrees before entering their current professions include actor John Amos and Oprah’s partner Stedman Graham. Financial expert Suze Orman also has a degree in social work, and has it put it to good use in empowering others, especially women, to take charge of their financial well-being.
Social workers, famous or not, make a difference in peoples’ lives everyday. Start your journey with an MSW degree- visit socialwork.une.edu today!