Carol Hand, MSSW ’83, PhD ‘03: Teacher, Advocate, Author

Preparing to write a story about school alumnae Dr. Carol Hand, an enrolled member of the Sokaogon Ojibwe Community, who I have been fortunate to have known from her time at the School of Social Work, it quickly became apparent that the best way to introduce her story is to use her own words. Following is Carol’s introduction from her blog, Voices from the Margins: A welcoming space for resistance to the forces of oppression and hegemony.  Mel Morgenbesser, Alumni Relations Boozhoo! (Ojibwe “Hello”) Welcome…I’m Carol Hand, an enrolled member of the Sokaogon Ojibwe Community, one of the 6 bands of Ojibwe people located in what is now the state of Wisconsin. During my early childhood, I spent my school years in New Jersey where I was born, and my summers with relatives on the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin. My bi-cultural heritage has had a profound influence on my life.

Who would believe that the mixed ancestry which made my life and that of my descendants so challenging is a phenomenal gift?

It represents an inheritance of courage from ancestors who challenged strongly held social conventions in acts of resistance and diplomacy to forge and cement peaceful alliances between cultures and nations in contested spaces during times of conflict and war.

This inheritance is not an easy one to carry. It conveys a sacred responsibility to walk the bridging, healing path of inclusion and peace in a world so easily divided by powerful fears of those who are different. It means living in a world that reifies distinctions between cultures, nations, religions, and political views, to name but a few of the differences, often demonizing those who dare to challenge social conventions and the ruling elite.

Yet the legacy passed down from the builders of bridges created new possibilities for peaceful coexistence – hybrids, if you will, who carry the legacy of courage and a sense of responsibility for living in harmony with others and the earth within their blended DNA.

Carol received BA, MSSW, and PhD degrees from UW-Madison. A dedicated teacher, she previously taught in social work programs in Wisconsin, Montana, and Illinois and is currently an adjunct faculty member at The College of St. Scholastica’s satellite program offered at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Before joining academia, Carol  worked as deputy director of health and human services for an inter-tribal council and as the aging network supervisor for a state department of health and social services. Throughout her career Carol has also been a program developer, public speaker, grant-writer, program evaluator, and researcher. Describing her passion, Carol describes “working from a liberatory praxis perspective with individuals and communities that have experienced oppression to transform oppressive social structures through consciousness-raising and non-violent community-directed action.” Having “mostly” retired, in addition to her blog and part-time teaching, Carol enjoys “writing, reading, gardening, listening to stories from diverse cultural backgrounds, and spending time with her family and grandchildren.”