LEAD 2019: Social Work Students Standing Together to Make Our Voices Heard

by Qiana Hobdy

     Legislative Education Advocacy Day (LEAD) was an amazing experience that I will never forget, and that will carry me forward as I enter the workforce as a new social worker. There I was, Qiana Hobdy, a graduate student at Touro College on my way to meet with Senator Anna Kaplan and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried to express my support and learn their views on two issues: the Racial Equity Assessment in Legislation Act, and the Social Work Investment Initiative. This was a priceless opportunity, one that every social work student who will someday work on the front line as a service provider, therapist, or case manager should take advantage of. LEAD provides a bird's-eye view on how the legislative policy process works, and how it affects the organizations we work in and the lives of the individuals we serve. LEAD afforded me a chance to experience the legislative advocacy side of the social work field firsthand and expanded my awareness and knowledge of policy practice. I realized that advocating and lobbying on behalf of specific legislation as a social worker could be effective.  

     As I left New York City for Albany, my heart was warmed with the idea that we were headed out to make a difference; I was boiling over with anticipation. This came in handy as we waited in the freezing cold for more than an hour to get into the building with hundreds of others who were also determined to make their voices heard. Here we were, “the people,” waiting outside of “the people's building” to lobby for the people who are directly affected by laws that those on the inside have the opportunity and responsibility to change. The cold was disheartening at first, but as I spoke with others there lobbying on issues of a similar nature, it felt good to stand in agreement that we had the power to make a difference. Additionally, we stood with the hope that we would be the face of how these issues affect our workplaces and lives.  

     As an African American woman and soon-to-be licensed social worker, I thought weathering the cold was a minor sacrifice for being able to present facts in the service of those whom I was there to represent. The Racial Equity Assessment in Legislation (REAL) Act, which would create a standing Senate committee, would require that every bill adopted in New York be viewed through a racial equity lens. This process will help ensure that laws passed will protect and support not just some New Yorkers, but all New Yorkers. If adopted, it could halt the perpetuation of racial inequities associated with laws like “Stop and Frisk,” which has disproportionately impacted New Yorkers of color. For someone like me, this is a huge deal on both a personal and professional level. It was an honor being a part of a team of social work students and faculty who stood in agreement to stop persistent racial disparity and divisions in our state, as well as our country.

     Although I have not been in this field long, it is obvious that social workers’ role, pay, and importance get minimized despite the fact that we are on the front lines addressing social problems; many of our organizations, communities, and nonprofit agencies are engaged in a daily fight against the effects of racism and other forms of social injustice. Policy is an important tool to change this, and LEAD confirmed for me that there is strength in numbers! If we stand together to make our voices heard, then we can be catalysts for needed change. After all, I once read in a powerful book that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

     Social workers, we are the people. Let's stand together and make policy change. 

Each year in New York State, several hundred social work students and faculty convene in Albany, the state capital, for social work Legislative Education Advocacy Day (LEAD).  LEAD is sponsored by the New York State and New York City Chapters of NASW, the New York State Social Work Education Association, and the New York State Dean and Directors and the New York Association of Deans of Schools and Social Work. 

Qiana Hobdy is a Certified Personal Trainer and graduate student of clinical social work who looks forward to one day opening a private practice. Qiana attends Touro College in New York City.