Social Justice in Politics with Dr. Charles Lewis
The VCU School of Social Work welcomed Charles E. Lewis, Ph.D., founder and director of the Congressional Research Institute of Social Work and Policy (CRISP), to a virtual event, Social Justice in Politics: Get out the vote in 2020, on Sept. 16.
Lewis, a social worker, discussed the role of social work in the democratic process with Dean Beth Angell, Ph.D., and three-time alumna Sheila Crowley, Ph.D.
The event was sponsored by the C. Bernard Scotch Fund, established in 2011. In 2018, the fund was expanded to support programs that advance macro practice. The fund honors emeriti faculty member Charles Bernard “Bernie” Scotch, Ph.D., who passed in 2010.
This event was in conjunction with the 2020 VCU Common Book – One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson.
Recommended Resources
Dr. Lewis recommended a resource list of websites and books for social workers interested in the political process.
Some of the highlights from Dr. Lewis’ remarks:
On his start on Capitol Hill: “When I first went on the Hill to work for (Congressman Edolphus) Towns, you know, I thought I was leaving social work to go into politics. And it took me a while before I realized that, no, I am not leaving social work, I am taking social work into the political arena, where it belongs. For me it was like many social workers, I did not start out to become a political social worker.”
On the importance of policy: “As I got on my way to getting my M.S.W. in clinical counseling and even my license and working, I was bitten by the policy bug from one of my policy classes. It kept dawning on me that all the work you do as a direct service provider, while incredibly important, it has to be supported by policy. And I wanted to know who’s doing that work, and I decided that I would train myself in that arena.”
On combating voter suppression: Well, for this year, this election, I would say the first thing to do is to vote early. Get your vote in as soon as you can. If you have not requested a mail-in ballot, request a mail-in ballot. Know the rules of your state. … I think to combat voter suppression is to make voting part of who you are, you know. This is something that you do. … Make it a ritual that you get to vote on a regular basis and not have to think about it. Make a commitment to be a voter. And then encourage others to vote, to become part of efforts like the National Voter Mobilization Campaign.”
On what to do after an election: “I tell people voting is the beginning. I mean, it is the most crucial thing for preserving and strengthening the democracy, but what is equally important is that we must stay engaged. We have a representational democracy, okay? So we elect people to go to Congress or government, or even local government to represent us, but they can only represent us if we engage with them so that they know that we are watching them and paying attention to what they’re doing, and encouraging them to represent us the way we want to be represented. So I tell all social workers that you need to know who is representing you. …”
On social workers’ concerns over being perceived as partisan if they speak out: “Expressing your views on subjects is not partisan. Although we may see things in terms of left and right, conservative and liberal, Democrat and Republican, just because one side takes the side of an issue doesn’t necessarily mean that they own it. I think we should be led by our values, okay? … We need to have more social workers in the public sphere, speaking out.”
On the Electoral College: “Get rid of it. Simply, I think the Electoral College needs to go.”
On becoming a political social worker: “All you guys out there who have never thought about going into politics, because you think that politics is a dirty game. … Listen, it’s the game that we need to be in, and we need to take our values into that arena. And so I encourage you to think about being a political social worker. I think, you know, a lot of social workers haven’t even given it a thought. So think about maybe that might be for you, too.”
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