The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) along with the National Women’s Law Center and 24 other groups on April 12, 2022 filed an amicus brief in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the matter of El Koussa v Massachusetts, challenging the constitutionality of a Massachusetts ballot initiative filed with the state attorney general by Uber, Lyft, Doordash, and Insta-Cart. The ... Read More »
Author Archives: gwright
An Open Letter to LGBTQIA2S+ Kids and Youth from NASW during Pride Month
We write this letter to LGBTQIA2S+ kids and youth to express deep gratitude that you exist, because our world would be incomplete without you. We honor the richness of your authenticity and openly proclaim that you are perfect exactly as you are. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you ... Read More »
NASW Member Voices: Considering a career in addiction social work? Here is what you should know
By Marisa Markowitz, LMSW, CASAC-T When students leave the halls of academia and decide to venture on their first social work job, there is trepidation. Will I be able to cut it? Do my skills align with the amount of knowledge I gained in school? Students must decide what type of social worker they want to become, and where they would ... Read More »
NASW Member Voices: Mass shootings herald rising white supremacist movement
By Mel Wilson, LCSW, MBA The shooting of 13 people in Buffalo of whom ten perished by an avowed white supremacist was a tragedy waiting to happen. The fact that 11 of the 13 victims were Black was no mistake. The victims were targeted in a planned and calculated attack by a white supremacist radicalized into becoming a member of national racist ... Read More »
Mobilizing Social Work’s Vision and Voice through Voting
Social workers have a long tradition of social justice and political advocacy – to include working to expand and protect voting rights and promote voter registration. Our essential work on behalf of protecting voting rights is needed now more than ever. The right to vote was hard won and still remains tenuous for historically vulnerable and under-represented communities. More than ... Read More »
Overturning Roe v. Wade will disproportionately affect people of color; Here is what social workers should know
By Mel Wilson, LCSW, MBA The leaked report of a draft Supreme Court ruling to completely overturn the seminal abortion rights opinion Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves throughout the country. While most reproductive health and other social justice advocates expected the conservative-leaning court would “gut” Roe v. Wade, they did not anticipate the absolute evisceration of the law. In that Roe ... Read More »
Reproductive Rights legal cases handled by the NASW Legal Defense Fund
Here is a list of reproductive rights legal cases handled by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) NASW Legal Defense Fund. McRae v. Mathews (U.S. Dist. Ct, E.D.N.Y., 421 F. Supp. 533 (E.D.N.Y. 1976)) Case Desc.: Challenge to Federal Appropriation Act that denied funding to indigent, pregnant women for elective abortions NASW Supported: McRae Outcome: Won/Favorable. Date Brief Filed: ... Read More »
A Worrying Rise in Women’s Drinking: How Social Workers Can Help
By Diana Ling, MA, Program Manager and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW, Senior Research Project and Training Coordinator; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin A troubling trend has taken hold over the past two decades: drinking patterns among men and women have converged – and in some cases, young women ... Read More »
Message from NASW President Mildred “Mit” Joyner to staff regarding CEO evaluation
A message from NASW President Mildred “Mit” Joyner: Read More »
NASW joins amicus brief that helps bring favorable ruling for female employee in case involving harassment, discrimination in federal court
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and 41 other public interest and civil rights organizations on Aug. 26, 2021 committed to gender justice and participated in an amicus brief led by the Purple Campaign, National Women’s Law Center, and Legal Momentum in support of Jane Roe v. United States et. al. (now Caryn Devins Strickland v. United States et. ... Read More »