Fifty years ago a march changed the destiny of a country, in a little over a week from now the Nation might witness another pivotal moment for its future. The NASW is calling on Social Workers to organize and join next Saturday’s “March On Washington” in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the historic March.
NASW-NYS was kind enough to bring the following to our attention:
National Action to Realize the Dream
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in conjunction with the DC Metro Chapter is organizing a delegation of marchers for the 50thAnniversary March on Washington, called the National Action to Realize the Dream March. In 1963, Whitney M. Young, Jr., NASW Pioneer® and former NASW President, and Dr. Dorothy I. Height, NASW Pioneer®, were organizers of the march. In 2013, NASW is mobilizing members to participate in the march.
Some of the issues the march will focus on are jobs and the economy, voting rights, women’s rights, immigration, gun violence, and LGBT equality. The march has taken on a much greater importance given the recent social justice and civil rights setbacks such as essentially overturning the Voters Rights Act, the proliferation of voter suppression policies in many states, and racial profiling that result in violations of civil rights and even death.
The march will take place on Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. A rally at the Lincoln Memorial will be followed by a march to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
If you would like to participate in the march, please contact Dina Kastner, Senior Field Organizer, at 202-336-8218 ordkastner@naswdc.org.
Details about meeting up at the march will be distributed to those who RSVP. For more information about the march from the march organizers, visit: http://nationalactionnetwork.net/mow/.
Solidarity will be the key for developing the professional strength needed for Social Work to influence policy in the coming years. Events such as this help to bind Social Workers together and provide invaluable experience for future initiatives. If you plan on attending the march and would like to share your experience with the SJS community, email courtney@socialjusticesolutions.org.
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Too little, too late. NASW out of step, out of date, out of time.
I was waiting for someone else to comment; great idea, but the issues appear to be all over the place and as this is NASW promoting the march and asking social workers to participate, how about addressing some of the issues facing social workers today that are being discussed on social media?
Dr. Angelo McClain, new CEO of NASW- “….advocating for the profession” is a goal and he has created the NASW CEO inbox (naswceo@naswdc.org) to hear from members, social workers, and other stakeholders regarding the issues that concern them the most. ‘This has been important because in order for me to effectively provide the necessary leadership, I need to understand the professional landscape and the day-to-day challenges and opportunities facing our colleagues practicing within all the fields and methodologies of social work.’
This is taken directly from an interview at: http://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/08/28/hope-change-interview-nasw-new-ceo-dr-angelo-mcclain/
I hope many social workers will send emails to the new CEO with their concerns for the social work profession.
I can think of many that I have head from fellow social workers and read on social media related to fair pay, acceptance by other helping professional colleagues, assistance with employment, reciprocity between states, provinces and perhaps countries re: credentialing and licensing.