President's Message, Winter/Spring 2006
by Luis Valenzuela, Ph.D., LMSW
As we welcome the New Year, it is important to reflect on the past year. Throughout the past year, NAPRHSW participated in, and supported, a variety of events designed to further the interests of not only Latinos but also other communities important to the economic enhancement and the flourishing diversity of the nation. Some of the events were directly sponsored by NAPRHSW, such as the Diversity and Strengths of the Latino Family Conference with Dolores Huerta as the keynote speaker; some of the events were co-sponsored by our association, such as the conference on Prejudice Reduction; other events were collaborative endeavors, such as, demonstrating & advocating for the just treatment of vulnerable populations, e.g., unauthorized migrants. All of NAPRHSW’s events are deliberate actions towards the realization of our mission.
It is also important to note that the message of extremist ideologues, reflected for example, in the provisions of the Patriot Act, and in the growing anti-Latino sentiment that undergirds the anti-immigrant movement, must be repudiated at every opportunity. The New Year brings opportunities for stoking the incipient rekindling of collaborative movements for social justice. NAPRHSW unequivocally endorses livable-wages for all workers, universal healthcare, decent and affordable housing, real access to quality education, and comprehensive immigration reform that includes viable mechanisms for citizenship.
As social workers, we recognize that the pernicious effects of poverty disproportionately affect children, and that structural inequities, such as the widening-gap between the affluent and the rest of the nation, perpetuate the plight of the impoverished — indeed, even the continued high death rate of children due to neglect. We demand the restoration and augmentation of the resources previously earmarked for promoting the welfare of children and their families but that now subsidize tax breaks for the most prosperous among our population. We expect that publicly elected officials who renege on their campaign promises or who support legislation contrary to our collective well-being will be promptly removed from office — witness the last elections.
As we set a course of activities for 2006, please forward your recommendations for workshops, seminars, or other professional development activities. Some of the workshops requested and to be offered this year include: Immigration Issues & Concerns; Domestic Violence, Financial Seminars, and Spanish for human services professionals. Thank you for your feedback, and for your participation in our various committees. If you have not joined a committee, please consider doing so. We urge all who are eligible to vote to do so, and all regardless of status to participate in voter education campaigns.
¡Sí se puede!
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