By Harriett Putterman, MSW
March
13 Conference Will Mobilize Social Workers in High Stakes 2004 Presidential
Election
By Harriett Putterman, MSW
Because the 2004 presidential election will be a defining event, amounting to a political struggle for the future of social welfare programs in the United States, NASW is holding an information and action conference titled “The Battle for Social Welfare: Enormous Stakes in the 2004 Presidential Election”. Unless effective resistance is mounted, conservatives will certainly continue their declared strategy of extensively cutting human services, so that in our lifetime, we could see the end of social welfare as we know it.
NASW’s Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) and the NYC NASW
Center for Social Work Policy and Practice are sponsoring the all-day, Saturday,
March 13th conference at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus. The
conference is planned as just the start of a widespread mobilization that could
eventually reach thousands of social workers. At the conference, information
and handouts will be provided to give participants a clear idea of the issues.
Speakers will describe the impact of severely reduced national appropriations
for health care, social security, and social services and the resulting funding
impact on human service programs in New York City. In addition, the how-to of
organizing activities will be discussed, such as conducting a voter registration
drive in agencies and communities, volunteering for a candidate’s campaign,
and using the internet to contact professional colleagues and personal networks
throughout the country about the vital issues at stake.
Speakers will include William Greider, National Affairs Correspondent for the
Nation magazine, whose article titled “The Right’s Grand Ambition:
Rolling Back The 20th Century”, details how conservatives plan to reduce
the federal treasury and starve social welfare programs. He will expand on that
article for his social work audience. A speaker will follow to draw out the
implications for human service programs in New York City.
Also invited is Congress Member Barbara Lee, MSW. Congress Member Lee achieved
national attention when she voted against the war in Iraq, fearing that expenditures
for the war would drain resources away from domestic programs and that the alternatives
to war had not been fully explored. Her address will give participants a perspective
on the national political scene and how social workers in New York can be effective
in organizing for the continuation of social welfare programs.
A panel of experts on political mobilization will give concrete examples and
provide handouts on a range of action options: how to get involved in a candidate’s
campaign, how to do voter registration drives in an agency and in a community,
and how to use the internet and use other techniques to influence and organize
your professional and personal network.
NASW will be reaching out to assure a wide diversity of social workers for this
important gathering. If you want to help mobilize social workers for the event
or need information or have questions, call 212-668-0050 or email conference@naswnyc.org.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 13, 2004, from 9 AM to 4 PM at Fordham
University, 113 West 60th Street and Columbus Avenue.
Click here to view brochure