While social workers belong to both privileged and oppressed groups, we share common values in our roles as micro and macro advocates.

For social workers fortunate enough to be documented, today’s a day to cross the micro to macro divide and learn more about the political process that affect our client’s sociopolitical contexts.

For macro practitioners, this becomes a great education opportunity about social work’s contributions to fighting for and enacting policy change. From woman’s suffrage to voter discrimination, social workers have been involved in fighting for equal access to the political square.

Today, whether you are clinical, admin, or policy (I still think a basketball match and/or Hunger Games-like arena should help decide who’s the best) we are reminded of social work’s contribution to the suffrage movement and human rights. Today, we are reminded of our unique mission and “charism” among the mental health disciplines to make every voice heard and oppressed group seen.

When it comes to the social work exam or your social work knowledge enrichment in general, it won’t hurt to know more about our own Jane Addams and her human rights work within and beyond the settlement housing movement (!).

Happy voting.

External Resources

“Why Women Should Vote” – A 1915 pamphlet by Jane Addams (Halsall, 1999).  From Fordham University’s  Internet Modern History Sourcebook.

NASW Statement on Senate Consideration of Voting Rights Amendment Act – A statement released earlier last summer regarding the Voting Rights Amendment Act (S.1945).

NASW PACE (Political Action for Candidate Election) – The political arm of the NASW, “PACE endorses and financially contributes to candidates from any party who support NASW’s policy agenda.”

From Women’s Suffrage to Civil Rights – Seven Important Figures in Social Work’s Past and Present – List of individual social workers who made contributions to civil rights for oppressed populations.