The NASW-NYC Annual Meeting on May 11th marked the 50th anniversary of NASW, addressing the theme:

“Generations Connected – Connection to the Past, Commitment to the Future. “ 400 members turned out to join the celebration held at the Fordham University Lincoln Center Campus.

The occasion was highlighted by the gathering of the Chapter’s past Presidents and NASW’s Social Work Pioneers.  In addition six students were recognized.  Each student was a recipient of the NASW student awards presented at the graduation ceremonies of their respective schools of social work. Together with the Presidents and Pioneers, they symbolized “generations connected” (see cover page  and page 7 for photos of the meeting).

The co-chairs of NASW-NYC Social Work Pioneers’ Committee, Dr. James Dumpson and Dr. Helen Rehr, were presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards; and Social Work Image Awards were presented to Susan Wong and Wendell Knight.

The Future From A National Perspective

Dr. Jeanette Takamura, Dean of the Columbia University School of Social Work, gave the keynote address.  Prior to coming to Columbia, Dr. Takamura served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of Aging.  She clearly brought a national perspective to her presentation.

In addressing the evening’s theme, Dr. Takamura raised two fundamental questions in the context of the centrality of the federal government’s role in supporting the profession, in social work related programs, and in people’s lives. 

She asked, “Can we presume that the trajectory of the past continues?”  And second, “Will society change social work or will social work change society?”.

Dr. Takamura left it to the audience and the profession to answer these questions for themselves.  Instead, her presentation provided perspective on the importance of what is driving the federal government today, leading to the implication that the future we are moving towards is revealed in the politics that is unfolding in the country.

Dr. Takamura underscored the importance of the President of the United States to bring a federal agenda, especially in terms of funding priorities, to the Congress to consider and finalize.

No Need to Agree

She said the problem today is that politics are so polarized and have such a deep ideological divide, that there is no sense of a need to discuss disagreements or consensus.  She pointed out that this is a departure from the past.

Dr. Takamura characterized the strict conservative ideology that has arisen as “politics of conviction” and said that this is embedded in the President’s policy and budget proposals that were sent to Congress.  She pointed out that this is reflected in the priority given to national defense as well as to the moral primacy of the “traditional American family”. 

She pointed out that the budget includes a $20 billion savings in non-defense programming, with implications for human services, while a preference is given to providers that are community and faith-based.

Dr. Takamura addressed the President’s emphasis of creating an “ownership society”, saying that his proposals to privatize Social Security through individual savings accounts are directly related to this.  She said that there is little understanding of the actuarial projections for the future of Social Security, as well as little recognition of the impact that cutting the program will have,  especially for women, minorities, and the near poor.

What the Profession Needs to Understand

In referring to the differences between conservatives and liberals, Dr. Takamura referred to “moral metaphors” that underlie each set of perspectives.  She said that these metaphors “may be critically important to understand if the profession is to determine how to effectively achieve its aspirations for populations at-risk”. 

While Dr. Takamura acknowledged that the moral metaphors at the core of the social work profession reflect a liberal perspective, she left it unstated how the profession might proceed with such an understanding of the conservative metaphors.  She did make it clear, however, that the profession is facing a serious challenge, contained in her question:

 “Will society change social work or will social work change society?”

Web Archives

Click here to read Keynote Addresses from previous annual meetings