An Open Letter to Social Workers

By Gene Rothman, DSW, Interfaith Liaison, Social Action and Social Justice Council, NASW California

Summary: Even the mainstream media are now reporting that poverty, various addictions and increased suicides among working-class whites in the American heartland have increased.

The combination of problems of poverty, these addictions, mental health issues and suicide could be an opportunity for social workers with their skill-sets to implement real change. But this can be done only if social workers are willing to demand fundamental restructuring of our present system. Several suggestions for meaningful action employing our professional skills and standards are proposed.

Note: I have not footnoted references, but sources cited should be ably identified for those seeking original articles.

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house” — Audre Lorde, Black feminist and lesbian writer.

Social workers, like the police, are both a safety valve and “shock absorber” placed by the wealthy — and their bought-and-paid-for politicians — between ordinary Americans and the top 1 percent. Being put in the middle of such a conflict is very difficult and potentially untenable. Preventive measures for health and mental health care and poverty — with fundamental institutional changes — must be part of the solution or interventions will merely be a “quick fix.” Otherwise, we may need to redefine ourselves as “Sisyphus workers” instead of social workers.

The Middle-Aged White Working-Class Downward Spiral:

The mainstream media have widely reported the work of Angus Deaton and Anne Case documenting the increasing death rates of working-class whites in the American heartland. While the death rates of this cohort are lower than those of African Americans and Hispanics, the fact that this white cohort death rate is increasing (while for non-whites it is decreasing) has raised concerns. Although attention to this issue in the broader media reflects the relatively privileged status of whites, the concern for workers is also step forward for national discourse.

The causes of death for these whites are due to various addictions such as drugs and alcohol, which then lead to an increase of suicides as well. Conservatives, predictably, argue that permissive social programs lead to a culture of entitlement and dependence. Therefore, they call for a return to traditional family values, as well as cuts to social programs. Many white voters with less than a college education are flocking to politicians like Donald Trump who offer scapegoats of “others” — such as people of color and refugees.

Examples of mainstream writers who have recently written many articles about these white middle-class workers abound. New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize economist Paul Krugman has a piece on “Despair, American Style.”

A more populist perspective is offered by Harold Meyerson in his “Why Working Class Whites are Dying.” Finally, a more explicit analysis about the role of class can be found in the Washington Post in E.J. Dionne’s article, “The Hidden and Deadly Bias of Class.”

It might also be noted that in at least some affluent white areas, a similar trend is occurring. A cover article in The Atlantic on “The Silicon Valley Suicides” among high school students is a case in point.

Two other background factors deserve mention. First, Americans in general are getting poorer, as Chris Sosa has noted in the Los Angeles Progressive in “Yes, Americans are Getting Poorer.”

And, secondly, for those at the bottom of the social order, things are growing worse as well. In Los Angeles, the homeless capital of the United States, the numbers of the unhoused are markedly increasing. In U.S. prisons, the story of worsening conditions is the same.

For those in solitary confinement (which social workers and psychologists have documented as causing mental illness), California has added an ugly new wrinkle. So-called “welfare and safety checks” are performed by prison guards where inmates are awakened every 30 minutes, 48 times a day, with suicide prevention cited as its rationale. Can anyone seriously claim that such sleep deprivation is anything but torture, plain and simple?

The Establishment Response:

NASW President Darrell Wheeler in his article “Profession Must Remain Part of the Solution” (NASW California News, November 2015) states that a key issue for social workers is to ask ourselves: “How are we collectively demonstrating to the world that without social work something essential is missing in society?” Yet he offers no concrete examples on how to do this.

In the broader political arena, a response to health care was stated by presumed Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton. Supported by the social work and liberal establishments, she recently took her opponent — self-described socialist Bernie Sanders — to task for his endorsement of a single-payer health care system. Thus, even a Medicare-for-all reformist proposal is outside the parameters of the Democratic party elites nowadays. Some observers feel that even the policy proposals of Bernie Sanders on health care issues may also be doomed to fail since the political system is seen as too broken and corrupt. He calls for a “political revolution,” which assumes the current electoral system would be able to address these problems. On the other hand, his supporters note that he has emphasized that this is a way to build a movement for significant social change in the future. Lest we forget, there was a time in our history when grass-roots movements, led by socialists like Eugene V. Debs and others, eventually produced what today is known as the Progressive Era.

The Grass Roots: Social Action on the Ground

Black activists have taken to the streets to oppose killings by police, and Blacks have also organized demonstrations on college campuses to oppose what they view as acts and symbols of racism. Similarly, women have launched major campaigns to fight the epidemic of rapes on college campuses as well. In short, what Martin Luther King, Jr. termed “the fierce urgency of now” has taken hold, and ordinary citizens are not waiting for government to act on their behalf.

Some Suggested Actions to Support Real Change

In order to attain real structural change, social workers need to use their professional skill-sets and professional standing to have a meaningful impact. I am suggesting that the fight against prolonged solitary confinement, the so-called “welfare and security checks” on inmates, as well as other forms of torture are a good fit with our expertise, especially since some social workers have already launched campaigns on these issues. Support of students working to oppose racism and sexual assaults on campuses also meet this standard. Finally, a critical response must also include support for social workers fighting not only for benefits and a living wage for themselves, but also for working conditions that allow them to practice with realistically manageable caseloads to benefit our clients.

Here is a list of some of groups which are taking action on these issues and which I think merit our support:

The NASW California Council on Social Action and Social Justice is working to oppose not only prolonged solitary confinement but also the so-called “welfare and security checks” by prison guards. The Council is also supporting the strike by Kaiser Permanente workers seeking reduced caseloads and mental health care equity on a par with medical care.

For information on prolonged solitary confinement and related prison issues in California, contact Marilyn Montenegro at mujerista@all2easy.net.

For more information on all issues about the NASW Social Action and Social Justice Council, please contact Chairwoman Natalia Salinas at Natie_v2001@yahoo.com.

For those interested in supporting social workers and psychologists doing research and professional testimony against prolonged solitary confinement, please contact Moya Atkinson at moyaatk@yahoo.com.

If you want information on opposition to torture in the United States on a broad range of issues, contact the National Religious Campaign Against Torture at National Religious Camp#14D9A34.

For those interested in supporting efforts of women students opposing campus sexual assaults, Alumni United has a toolkit available: http-//news.sys-con.com#14DA63C,

In addition, social workers at the University of New England have established a list of resources dealing with sexual assault issues: Social work and sexual #14E00BF.

I invite those who are reading this to take some action on these issues. The ever-growing injustice and inequality at all levels of our society must be challenged if we want to have some form of community instead of social chaos.