ENC Regional Association of Black Social Workers

02/18/2026

01/30/2026

It’s that time of year. If you are a high school senior who plans to attend college, please check out this scholarship opportunity. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

12/10/2025

WELCOME LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Eastern North Carolina Regional Association of Black Social Workers
50th Anniversary Celebration

Dear Honored Guests, Members, and Community Partners,

It is with profound gratitude and joy that I welcome you to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Eastern North Carolina Regional Association of Black Social Workers. Tonight, we stand on sacred ground—ground cultivated by pioneers who answered the call to serve with courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to our people.

Fifty years ago, our founders planted a seed of justice, advocacy, and cultural pride in Eastern North Carolina. That seed has grown into a powerful legacy—one that continues to nurture families, strengthen communities, and elevate the profession of social work through the lens of Black excellence. This journal is both a tribute and a testimony: a chronicle of the lives, leaders, and labor that shaped our journey.

As we gather to celebrate this milestone, we do so with deep reverence for those who came before us and renewed responsibility for those who will follow. This year’s theme, “Called to Serve: Moving Forward with Hope, Grace, & Mercy,” reminds us that our work is not only professional—it is spiritual, communal, and transformational.

Thank you for your presence, your partnership, and your belief in the mission that continues to guide us. May this evening rekindle our purpose, unify our vision, and ignite the next 50 years of service, leadership, and impact.

With honor and heartfelt appreciation,
Dr. Eveangel H. Savage, Ph.D.
President, Eastern North Carolina Regional Association of Black Social Workers

12/10/2025

✨THANK YOU, FRIENDS OF ENCRABSW!✨

Our hearts are still so full! 💛💜
To our Friends of ENCRABSW, our devoted members, partners, sponsors, and every distinguished guest who showed up with love — THANK YOU for making our 50th Anniversary Celebration a moment we will never forget.

You didn’t just attend… you showed out.
You brought the joy, the laughter, the stories, and the legacy. 🌟

Because of you, we created memories that will live far beyond this milestone year. From the fellowship and reflections to the standing ovations and shared triumph, you reminded us why community matters and why our mission continues with unwavering purpose.

Here’s to 50 years of impact, and to the next 50 of hope, service, and transformation.
We are honored to walk this journey with you.

Thank you for celebrating history — and making new history — with us.
💛💜

12/05/2025

Tay's Kindhearted Creations thank you for your support in the celebration of ENCR-ABSW's 50-years of dedicated service to community.

12/04/2025

Celebrating 50 years of service excellence...

Angela Harris, MSW, LCSW, LCAS, CSI, LCMHCS and Past President is a highly accomplished clinical social worker and respected Past President of the Eastern North Carolina Regional Association of Black Social Workers. A proud graduate of East Carolina University’s Master of Social Work program, Angela has further distinguished herself by earning advanced licensures in clinical social work, substance use, clinical supervision, and mental health counseling. She also holds specialized certifications in child welfare and substance abuse, reflecting her deep commitment to serving vulnerable populations with excellence and compassion.
With more than 13 years of direct clinical practice and over two decades of community-based service, Angela has dedicated her career to supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families facing physical, emotional, environmental, and substance-related challenges. Her work spans a wide range of settings across Eastern North Carolina and statewide, including collaborative partnerships with multiple agencies and virtual platforms.
Angela currently supports at-risk pregnant women and their families through behavioral modification therapy and intensive support services—an area where her expertise, empathy, and innovative thinking truly shine. Known for her ability to think “outside the box,” she is widely recognized for her creative problem-solving, client-centered approach, and unwavering advocacy for equitable care.
A dedicated member of the National Association of Black Social Workers for more than 13 years, Angela served as ENCR-ABSW President from 2017–2019, leading with integrity, vision, and a commitment to uplifting the communities she serves. She continues to inspire others to challenge traditional limits, seek fresh perspectives, and pursue meaningful impact in the field of social work.

12/04/2025

*Annette Faison, Past President is the Proud Principal of Vick Elementary School in Wilson, North Carolina, and the 2025-26 Principal of the Year for Wilson County Schools, with over 20 years of experience in education. Using the theme "Under Construction: Building Leaders and Learners," she is committed to developing excellence in her staff, teachers, and students. Throughout her career, she has served in multiple leadership positions, including instructional coach, curriculum facilitator, and assistant principal at several elementary schools. Ms. Faison recently presented at the NCPAPA Fall Symposium, telling the story of her school's transformative journey culminating in a significant 22-point increase in overall school grade. She has also been featured on Principal Baruti Kafele's AP & New Principals Academy (episode 268), sharing her leadership insights with a national audience. Annette received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from East Carolina University and her Master of School Administration from North Carolina State University, and holds National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. As an educator, Annette believes every child and every educator deserves to be seen, heard, and valued, which is why we must meet each individual where they are, as they are, to build them up and give them a fighting chance to reach their full potential. Her leadership is grounded in faith, inspired by Romans 8:37: "In all these things we are more than conquerors (hupernikao) through him who loved us." As an instructional leader, she excels in establishing clear school vision and mission, supporting teacher development, and implementing evidence-based teaching strategies that foster equitable learning environments. When she's not leading Vick Elementary, Annette enjoys spending time with her daughter, who brings her immense joy and keeps her busy as a dedicated dance mom. Annette is currently focused on working with her CREW to change the narrative of Vick Elementary, transforming it from a low-performing school to a thriving school of excellence where every person that enters the building is seen, valued, and heard.

12/03/2025

This work is a labor of love.

Not the kind of love that fades when things get hard… but the kind that shows up anyway, rolls up its sleeves, and says, “Let’s figure this out together.”

Social work has never been the easy road. It pulls on your heart, stretches your capacity, and asks you to stand in the gaps where systems fall short. But still — we answer the call. Not because it’s simple, but because someone has to be the one who sees people fully, advocates boldly, and holds space when the world feels unsteady.

Every assessment, every home visit, every late-night safety plan, every moment spent listening instead of rushing — it all matters. It all changes something. And whether the world celebrates it or overlooks it, we know the truth: impact is planted one seed at a time.

Social workers cultivate healing— patiently, intentionally, and with the understanding that what you tend today can sustain a life tomorrow.

So here’s to every practitioner who keeps showing up with heart, hope, skill, and grit.

Here’s to the profession that teaches us that service isn’t a task — it’s a calling.

We are called to serve.

And we do it with love.

12/03/2025

Our history will not be erased.

In the social work profession, we carry a legacy built by people who dared to stand in the gap long before there were policies, degrees, or titles to recognize the labor. Our story is rooted in advocacy, community, and a relentless determination to make sure every voice — especially the most vulnerable — is seen, heard, and protected.

We are the profession that shows up when systems fail, when families are hurting, when communities are overlooked, and when injustices try to hide in plain sight. And through every era, every crisis, and every attempt to minimize our impact, we’ve remained the backbone of healing, restoration, and social change.

Social workers have always been the historians of human struggle and human resilience. We remember what others forget. We tell the truth when the truth is inconvenient. We push for accountability when silence would be easier. And we stand rooted in traditions of service, resistance, and radical love that reach back generations.

To every social worker past and present — your work matters. Your story matters. Your contribution matters. And the history of our profession, especially the Black social work tradition that shaped movements and saved lives, will not be erased, rewritten, or overshadowed.

We honor it.
We protect it.
We continue it.

Called to serve. Committed to truth. Rooted in legacy.

12/03/2025

Special thank you to every patron, friend, colleague and other for helping us get here. We are excited and looking forward to the fellowship with all of you. Dr. Eve

11/30/2025

*Rev. Irvin Moore, Jr., Past President affectionately called “Rev. Irv,” is a native of Burlington, NC. He is a 1972 magna cm laude Bachelor of Science (BS) graduate of N.C. A&T State University (Greensboro, NC), where he celebrated his 50th class reunion in 2022. He has a Master's in Social Work (MSW) from Washington University (St. Louis, MO), and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC). He has done postgraduate work at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). He has over 30 years of experience in chaplaincy. He retired in late June of 2016 as a Staff Chaplain II at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He also worked as a Staff Chaplain II at Duke University Medical Center and a Staff Chaplain II at Vidant Hospital (Greenville, NC). He is an Associate Minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church (Cincinnati, OH), where the Reverend Christopher R. Graham, Sr. is Senior Pastor.

He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina A&T State University Alumni Association. He is the President of the Cincinnati Association of Black University and College Alumni (CABUCA). He is the past president of the ENCR-ABSW, Metrolina ABSW, Triangle ABSW, and Cincinnati A&T Alumni Chapter. He is involved in numerous civic and religious organizations. He volunteers at Music Hall, the YMCA, and Spring Grove Cemetery in their horticulture department. He is a certified travel agent with MOE Travels, LLC. He currently resides in Cincinnati, OH.

11/30/2025

Social work has always been a collective calling — a profession built on shared responsibility, shared humanity, and shared hope. When agencies collaborate, we honor that legacy. We honor the social workers who show up every day with heart, skill, and stamina, even when the world feels heavy.

True collaboration reflects what social work has always stood for:
Community over competition.
Service over ego.
Impact over isolation.

When we work together across departments, agencies, and systems, we strengthen the very foundation of our profession. We expand safety nets, reduce fragmentation, and ensure that no family, elder, youth, or community member slips through the cracks. That’s not just strategy — that’s solidarity.

Honoring social work means recognizing that our greatest impact is collective impact.
It means valuing every case manager, clinician, administrator, advocate, and educator whose work becomes more powerful when linked with others.
It means understanding that collaboration isn’t just a tool — it’s a professional value.

And in a season where social workers are navigating degree caps, burnout culture, and shifting systems, collaboration becomes a form of protection. A way of saying, “You don’t have to carry this alone.”

So today, we honor the profession by leaning into what has always made us strong — our ability to collaborate, connect, and co-create solutions that transform communities.

Together, we move the mission.
Together, we sustain the work.
Together, we honor social work.