Opportunities for Advocacy

Current tragedies involving police violence and mass shootings targeting minorities and vulnerable groups have been hard to endure. As social workers, many of you may feel the need to get involved to address these issues and promote peace and social justice. Indeed, as social workers, we are called upon by our professional values and ethics to stand together against injustice and in the days ahead you may feel particularly compelled to make your voice heard.

Overview

As a school of social work, we are recommitting ourselves to advocacy, to systems change, and to care for those in our spheres. We hope you will join us in these efforts. We also hope that you will share your own thoughts and ideas about how we as a school can be better engaged in advocacy and supportive of GASSW students. Do not hesitate to contact the instructors who you feel comfortable with, set up a zoom session, or email if you want someone to listen to you.

Resources and Action

Get involved to the extent you can. Find out the actions in your communities and participate.

Take a moment to go to https://sayevery.name/ to acknowledge and honor even a small portion of the lives lost to racism.

Voting is Social Work is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that provides social work students and practitioners with the knowledge and tools to raise awareness about voting and to increase voting registration and participation.

NASW-NE Advocacy Action Center: https://naswne.socialworkers.org/Advocacy

The Anti-Oppressive Working Group is part of the NASW-NE Chpater and works with NASW-NE members to ensure that social workers in Nebraska have the necessary knowledge and skills to create a more equitable world by challenging systemic oppression impacting vulnerable people in our state. https://naswne.socialworkers.org/Advocacy/Anti-Oppressive-Working-Group

NASW has developed a policy agenda, which asserts the association’s advocacy priorities for the legislative cycle. https://www.socialworkers.org/Advocacy

Legal Aid of Nebraska provides dignity, hope, self-sufficiency and justice through quality civil legal services. https://www.legalaidofnebraska.org/

Contact your state and national representatives and let them know where you stand. For example, LB 51 seeks to bring about police reform in Nebraska. Find your Nebraska Senator and District: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_find.php

Contact your senator regarding public policy issues, legislation, or requests for personal assistance: https://www.senate.gov/general/contacting.htm

Find your congressional district and member: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Find help with rent and utilities. State and local organizations are distributing federal rental assistance in their communities. The money can help landlords and renters who are struggling to keep up with rent and other bills: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/mortgage-and-housing-assistance/renter-protections/

Questions?

Contact Assistant Professor, Dr. Heerten-Rodriguez (lheerten2@unomaha.edu) for additional assistance.