CRISP will resume in-person events on Wednesday, March 13, to celebrate March as Social Work Month after a four-hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme is Lifting Every Voice: The Power of Storytelling in Social Work. Our Social Work Day on the Hill day begins with our 10:00 a.m. Policy and Politics Forum at New York University DC’s Abramson Family Auditorium, 1307 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005, featuring a presentation by Dr. Stephanie Boddie, Associate Professor of Church and Community Ministries at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. Dr. Boddie’s presentation will draw from her documentary Unfinished Business, which showcases stories of elders from black churches in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh about the Great Migration. It was well-received at Waco’s Deep in the Heart Film Festival.
I will moderate a panel discussion following Dr. Boddie’s presentation on how storytelling is used in social work, its ability to lift the voices of vulnerable, seldom-heard populations, and its potential impact on November’s elections. How social workers can influence the public narrative. Panelists include Dr. Boddie; Dr. Shannon Lane, Associate Professor at the Wurzweiller School of Social Work at Yeshiva University and co-author of the textbook Political Social Work: Using Power to Create Social Change; CSWE President and CEO Dr. Halaevalu Vakalahi; and Latino Social Work Coalition and Fund President Luisa Lopez.
After a lunch break, we will return to the auditorium for a panel discussion by young social workers—students and recent graduates—moderated by Howard University School of Social Work alum Avah Toomer, National Manager of Policy and Advocacy at LIFT, Inc. The day concludes with a 4:00 p.m. reception in the Gold Room (2168) in the Rayburn House Office Building for our annual CRISP Award Reception. Former Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns will join us in recognizing the outstanding contributions of social workers and others to Congress, the federal government, and the profession. Mr. Towns founded the Congressional Social Work Caucus in 2010 and inaugurated Social Work Day on the Hill after his retirement in 2013.
Monday’s events are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-registered basis. Voting for CRISP Award nominees ends Friday, March 1st. Check the CRISP website for announcements on attendance availability.
After three successful virtual Student Advocacy Days, the Leadership Team, under the guidance of Lead Organizer Amani Desamour, a recent graduate of Howard University School of Social Work, decided to continue doing the event virtually on Thursday, March 14, to include students not able to travel to Washington, DC, and resume the in-person experience of students gathering on Capitol Hill on Friday, March 15. Thursday’s event begins at 11:30 a.m., and Friday’s will commence in the Kennedy Caucus in the Russell Senate Building, 2 Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002, at 10:00 a.m. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m.