An Open Letter to NASW-MA, NASW National and Massachusetts Social Workers
The Racial Justice Council (RJC) was created as part of the National Association of Social Workers - Massachusetts Chapter (NASW-MA) in the fall 2018. Although some initiatives have resulted in successful educational programs and contributions to the NASW-MA strategic plan, the RJC has been limited in its effectiveness due to organizational restrictions.
At this juncture, we believe we will have more impact by separating from NASW-MA. Our goal is to engage Massachusetts social workers in the pursuit of racial justice without the constraints of NASW-MA. We will expand our reach by engaging in authentic collaboration with community organizations. We recognize the field of social work is complicit in racial injustice, including our professional organization, NASW. We are calling for radical action on the part of the social work community, including reparations.
In November 2022, the RJC was asked by local NASW leadership to author an article about reparations for publication in the NASW-MA Voice magazine that more than 25,000 licensed social workers in the state of Massachusetts receive. This article was to accompany another piece that was published, introducing readers to the RJC. NASW-MA did not approve the proposed article on reparations because they believed it negatively portrayed NASW-MA. We have included an expanded version of that article.
Unpublished Article
The NASW-MA Racial Justice Council calls on NASW, who celebrates grassroots activism and social justice, to stand by their aspirations of “undoing racism” and “achieving racial equity” by implementing tangible reparations for Black people.
What are reparations? In this context, financial compensation is reparations for the atrocities resulting from centuries of enslavement. Black people of the African diaspora continue to bear the financial, emotional, and systemic burdens of this history. Reparations are an essential part of rectifying the inequities between accrued generational wealth for white families and the systemic economic poverty and the deliberate sabotage of Black communities.
The RJC notes the absence of social work in mainstream advocacy for reparations and insists that our professional organization, the NASW, should lead the nation in this initiative. The field of social work has been, and continues to be, complicit in the marginalization and oppression of Black people. The NASW has acknowledged specific harms facilitated by the social work profession. See link.
We are not innocent, we have the power to dismantle white supremacist systems, and build a new equitable foundation. We must prioritize those who are actively marginalized by a relentless system of injustice and struggle, and remain focused on meaningful change.
The NASW Code of Ethics implores us to acknowledge personal privilege and to take action against racism and oppression and yet, our collective actions toward racial justice often fall short. We have failed to be fully accountable for the racial inequities we perpetuate and support. Reparations are a necessary step to operationalize our code of ethics.
Our Vision
NASW National and NASW-MA have publicly declared their dedication to ending racism, and the pursuit of racial justice, however, in our experience, the efforts thus far have been largely performative, diluted, and ineffective because of structural and systemic factors. NASW-MA has obstructed meaningful action regarding racial justice by taking a stance of defensiveness and personalization despite understanding these issues as perpetuating structural and systemic anti-Blackness, racism, and white supremacy culture. After careful consideration, we have decided to form an independent coalition, outside of NASW, comprised of social workers, focused on the expeditious pursuit and implementation of racial justice.
As radical social workers, we wish to liberate ourselves from confining frameworks while recognizing the paradox that we may never achieve liberation from the system that built us. We wish to operate with an abolitionist spirit, embracing intersectionality, creativity, and innovation. We are committed to challenging all forms of racism, oppression and marginalization within the institution of social work. We seek opportunities for accountability, to advocate for reparations, and to facilitate repair. We understand that the institution of social work is made up of people, and that our impact as social workers is far reaching in the communities we touch. We embrace grassroots organizing and activism to disrupt and energize the sleepy response to operationalizing racial justice in social work. We are committed to prioritizing the voices of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color and our work will reflect this by making sure that our leadership is majority BIPOC.
We aim to develop and maintain inclusive and publicly accessible web-based resources for practicing racial justice in social work as individuals, as organizations and as a profession. We are prepared to assist in the mobilization of Schools of Social Work, CSWE, and NASW to prioritize and include racial justice focused practices as a mandatory part of the standard curriculum. We must use our creativity to develop universal and statewide reparations funds.
In the interest of moving racial justice forward in the field of social work, our exigencies are the following:
To All Social Workers in Massachusetts:
Postpone renewal or purchase of NASW-MA membership dues until the national organization agrees to provide free membership to all Black social workers
Engage your professional organizations and/or your own private practice policies in racial justice work and specifically, reparations
To Schools of Social Work in Massachusetts:
Hire faculty and staff committed to racial justice and include content focused on racial justice in all areas of the educational curriculum
Support Black social work students through the application process, scholarships, mentorship, and academic support programs and develop reparations fund to support Black social work students
To NASW-MA and NASW National:
Financial Reparations Advocate for free NASW membership, student loan forgiveness and expanded scholarship funds for Black social workers. Fund membership to social work associations representing Black social workers. Increase public awareness of the need for reparations for Black social workers and provide concrete actionable tasks for individual social workers, Schools of Social Work, and Social Work Organizations to enact toward reparations.
Engagement & Communication Prioritize and center Black social workers in each step toward racial justice; and develop a strong public statement and action plan focused on NASW’s commitments to racial justice for Black social workers.
Accountability & Advocacy Develop comprehensive history of social work’s role in the marginalization and oppression of Black people within Massachusetts by spearheading research and documentation of historical accounts. Partner with social work schools in MA to educate rising social work students about state specific examples of anti-Black violence and racism.
Increased Transparency Annual collection and publication of racial and ethnic data of current NASW membership; budget transparency.
To the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE):
Codify racial justice as a central component of social work education, specifically in relation to Competency #2 in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards: to Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice.