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Legislative Sign-On Request
NASW-MA Policy Questionnaire
In order to understand if policies under consideration advance racial justice and will enhance the well-being of and promote equitable outcomes for people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty, we request that organizations or coalitions seeking NASW-MA’s support answer the below questions.
Key questions, developed by NASW-MA’s Legislative Advocacy Committee and Racial Justice Council, and adapted from Race Forward and the Massachusetts Public Health Association, are designed to examine all policies presented to NASW-MA for consideration using a racial justice and equity impact lens. Social workers understand that systemic racism1 leads to disenfranchisement and disproportionate harm to people of color. This harm may be personal, professional, social, civic, economic, or environmental. As an association, we must take action to combat racism through policy and legislative advocacy. We must use policy and legislative advocacy to help meet the needs of and empower people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.
1The racial bias across institutions and society. It describes the cumulative and compounding effects of an array of factors that systematically privilege white people and disadvantage people of color. Since the word “racism” often is understood as a conscious belief, “racialization” may be a better way to describe a process that does not require intentionality. Race equity expert John A. Powell writes: “‘Racialization’ connotes a process rather than a static event. It underscores the fluid and dynamic nature of race... ‘Structural racialization’ is a set of processes that may generate disparities or depress life outcomes without any racist actors.” (NASW-MA Racial Justice Council, 2019)
