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Welcome our new boards of directors! The WSSCSW has been undergoing a rebuilding process after the internal collapse of the board in 2023. We are excited to announce the permanent boards of directors who will be carrying the WSSCSW mission, vision and values forward. We continue to work on stabilizing the infrastructure, restoring the internal functionality and building a new Social Justice and Equity Chair position. The permanent boards of directors will lead us into the future as a clinically thriving, connected, diverse, inclusive and values driven professional organization that focuses on provide the highest quality of services to all of our clients. As we move from the transitional board to the permanent board, we will do our best to ensure we are responding and meeting the needs of WSSCSW. Please be patient with us. We are all fellow members, volunteering in this role. We are working on ensuring WSSCSW has the administrative support it needs to be set up for success. We will be keeping members updated with regular email announcements and posting the permanent board minutes in the members-only section of the website. Our first board meeting will be held on 8/18. You can now reach the transitional board by emailing the temporary address at office@wsscsw.org and the appropriate permanent board member will see your message. Sincerely, President, Lisa Strub, LICSW Past President Tanya Ranchigoda, LICSW Secretary, Julia Kocian, LICSW Treasurer, Stacey McFarland, LICSW Social Justice and Equity Chair, Jamie Weber, LICSW Ethics Chair, Lara Okoloko, LICSW Associates Co-Chairs, Melissa Wood Brewster, LICSW and Andy Ensor, LICSW Professional Development Chair, Ryan Petros, LICSW Membership Chair, Denise Malm, LICSW (Interim), Open Communications Chair, Open Legislative Chair, Open |
Welcome to Washington State | AnnouncementsResponse to Election & Native American Heritage Month I am Jamie Weber, MSW, LICSW. I earned my MSW from the University of Washington School of Social Work in 2013. As the Social Justice and Equity Chair I want to address both the profound impact of the recent presidential election and our collective acknowledgment of Native American Heritage Month, which takes place every November.
As a descendant of the Yakama Nation, it is not lost on me that a presidential election takes place during a month designed to honor the Native and Indigenous people of these lands – Turtle Island. In the US, Native people are amongst the people most heavily targeted by oppressive voting restriction laws, colonialism is not history for us, we continue to survive despite its targeted oppression every day. These interconnected issues remind us of our responsibility to honor and protect the rights, dignity, and contributions of all people, especially those most at risk under systems of colonial oppression.
First, regarding the election: the threats to democracy, education, immigrant rights, reproductive autonomy, free speech, the right to collective action, constrained judicial power, and the safety of trans and queer individuals are real and urgent. It is important to note this list is limited in nature as it does not address the millions of Americans that face their daily lives without the basic human rights of housing, healthcare and access to adequate nutrition. Some continue to survive these realities, some do not.
Naming the lived experiences and environmental conditions of the people most oppressed in the US is an essential clinical social work skill. The state of our collective well-being directly connected to our larger interdependent, collective experiences. Chronic dissociation is known to trauma therapists as a trauma response – so we must ask ourselves, in what ways are we subconsciously and consciously coping in a state of chronic disassociation to protect our nervous systems from the horrors of a country built on the premise and practice of supremacy - i.e. enslavement of Africans and the genocide of millions of Native Tribes and people via forced dispossession. The election critically sharpens our commitment to fight for policies and practices that uphold justice, equity, and human rights. As social workers, we must continue to educate ourselves and our communities about the harms of supremacy, stand against oppression, and take concrete steps to protect those most vulnerable to harm and fear cultivating practices of violence.
These commitments and practices are connected to our recognition of Native American Heritage Month. Native peoples have long been at the forefront of struggles for sovereignty, cultural preservation, environmental justice, and resistance against colonialism—issues that are inseparable from the social justice work we champion. We acknowledge the enduring resilience and contributions of Native American communities, even in the face of systemic injustice and erasure. Quote about how the world has ended
As a clinical society, we aim to commit to uplifting Native voices and advocating for the needs of Native communities year-round, not just during this month. This includes addressing the ongoing inequities in healthcare, mental health access, education, and housing that disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples, while amplifying the richness and diversity of Native cultures and traditions. We encourage all members to engage with local Native-led organizations and initiatives, to deepen their understanding of historical and ongoing injustices, and to incorporate culturally responsive practices into their work.
As a board we invite you during this time to be relationally responsive in your acts of reparations for Native People and move beyond land acknowledgements to movements of Land Back. We can do that by supporting Native businesses and lending our advocacy and organizing support to Land Back movements near and far. If the Land Back movement is new to you, please learn more here: https://ndncollective.org/landback/
In this moment, as we confront both immediate threats and the legacies of systemic oppression, let us be guided by a vision of justice that honors the sovereignty, humanity, and contributions of all people and is built on the truth of our collective abundance, not the lies of supremacist scarcity. |
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