NASW-NJ FOCUS Magazine - July 2022

Social Action is Social Work: An Intern’s Reflections

By Leah Russo

I have always been a loud person. As a kid, I was vocal about my whole grade receiving a punishment of silent lunch because of a few bad actors in my class. I made petitions in elementary school about Tamagotchis and found myself actually having to take on the administration in high school because I wanted to wear pants instead of a dress to graduation. During my undergrad, I found myself leading protests around campus about sexual assault, union contracts, and so many other things. So, macro social work easily became a home for me to express how I felt about the state of the world.

I consider myself fortunate to have obtained an internship with the NASW-NJ while I pursue my MSW. Part of that means I have the privilege to go to the State House in Trenton to learn about advocating for legislation and attend rallies around the state to use my voice to speak out against injustice. This summer, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several rallies with the NASW-NJ team.

Our first rally was a same day voter registration rally in Trenton, which I attended with my field supervisor, Jeff. On the ride down, I was super excited to go to my first rally at our state’s capitol. Almost immediately upon our arrival in Trenton, we ran into another social worker. She had taken the day off from her work in hospice to come to the rally. We spent the first part of the morning at the masonic temple talking to others who all wanted to use their voice to pass same day voter registration. I got to talking to someone from the NAACP about student loans – what can I say? Students will always bring up student loans and I am not sorry about that. As we chatted with other advocates (and drank some juice boxes) we learned about reasons people had chosen to turn out for the rally. Soon, we made our way down to the capitol annex and talked with the event organizers. They thanked us for coming and for the support of the NASW-NJ and we thanked them for putting on such a great event. We also ran into another social worker who works as a legislative staffer and I spent some time talking with a retired teacher about the importance of interprofessional collaboration between social workers and teachers. As the rally progressed, we heard from legislators, religious leaders, community organizers and more. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday.

The following weekend, we participated in a March for Our Lives event put on by the Lesniak Institute. Again, I jumped in the car with Jeff and headed to Roselle. We met with other members of the NASW-NJ staff, our Chapter board, and other social workers. We heard speeches from community organizers and advocates, including our own Jeff Feldman and Widian Nicola, NASW-NJ’s Chapter President. Both of their speeches made me cry. After spilling enough tears to refill my water bottle, we began our march around the park. With chants led by young people—including one passionate young man who may be destined for the presidency—we walked in the heat to make our voices heard about sensible gun legislation.

Most recently, we went to the Juneteenth rally in Newark, organized by the NJ Institute for Social Justice. We met up with some social work friends and found even more social workers in the crowd. It was another hot day for a march, but the temperature didn’t seem to matter when people are facing injustice. We heard speeches about the militarization of schools, the lack of funding for community programs, and the need for NJ to pass legislation that would establish a Reparations Task Force. We then marched to City Hall, chanting about reparations the entire walk. It was an amazing showing for such an important issue. There were more speeches made at City Hall, including one by Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, leader of the Legislative Black Caucus, that were equally as impactful. The crowd swelled, as more people joined to listen. It was a truly inspiring day.

I feel incredibly grateful that I have been able to go to all of these rallies as part of my internship. I understand that this is a privilege, and I do not take that lightly. Especially when rallies are on workdays, many people do not have the flexibility to take time off to participate. I feel honored to be able to raise my voice on their behalf. I have also been fortunate enough to attend some rallies outside of my intern hours—including Pride Month events and local rallies for abortion access.

In the spirit of social work and social action, I invite you to attend a rally or march for a cause you care about, if you are able.

HERE ARE SOME OF MY TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE AND HAVING A GREAT TIME WHEN YOU RALLY:

• First, bring water. If you are going to cheer and chant for social justice and progress on a hot day, you are going to need to stay hydrated.

• Second, bring a mask and a picture of your vaccination card (keep the original copy at home so you don’t lose it). These are always a good thing to have while going out, but if you are going to go inside a building (like the Capitol!) these are things you might need.

• Third, use sunscreen. Don’t get so sunburned that you can’t attend the next march.

• Fourth, wear sturdy shoes—you’ll be on your feet a long time.

• And lastly, bring an open mind and a good attitude. Excitement is infectious. Now get out this summer and help spread the excitement for social justice to all those around us.