Student Advocacy Day is a yearly event focused on teaching students about the legislative process in Maryland, jobs held by social workers in legislative advocacy, and current bills being introduced in the house and senate. It is a student-centered training where information, resources and contacts are made available to social work students from around the state, and this year it is FREE for Maryland social work students.

Students should speak with their field instructors and professors to see if Student Advocacy Day qualifies for extra credit, graded credit, and/or field credit. NASW Maryland encourages all student members to attend as this training provides an overall look at advocacy in Maryland.

Are you a social worker who has overcome a hurdle in order to improve the lives of others? Do you want us to tell your story about how you are breaking barriers for the community, for families, and for individuals. Send us a short video telling us your story and we will review it to post on our Facebook page, YouTube, and/or Instagram page. We are accepting a limited number of submissions so please send your video by February 15, 2023. Short videos are preferred for social media posting.

Videos can be emailed to membership.naswmd@socialworker.org with the Subject: SW Month 2023 Video.

The need for the Respect for Marriage law was noted by many over the past year. In a recent statement, NASW noted that the organization called upon its members in July to support legislation to safeguard same sex and interracial marriages, noting that with the June 2022 issuance of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the need to pass this critical bill is more urgent than ever to counter potential attacks on other constitutional rights, including same-sex and interracial marriage. Vice-President, Kamala Harris' said on November 29, 2022, "The Respect for Marriage Act ultimately stands for a simple principle: all Americans are equal, and their government should treat them that way." (Statement, VP Kamala Harris, 11/29/22). Social workers are typically aware that this principle is not always followed in many of the systems that we work in daily and therefore, even in our profession we must revisit and analyze our own actions and biases to prevent or minimize harm to ourselves and our clients.

In fact, in 1996, the defense of marriage act did not provide the right to marry to same-sex marriage but instead noted that marriage "means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word `spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." (Defense of Marriage Act text, Congress.gov)

But on December 13, 2022, the law from 1996 was repealed in the Respect for Marriage Act signed by President Biden. Following the signing of the law, the White House was illuminated in Rainbow Colors. The White House was also illuminated in Rainbow Colors in June 2015 after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. The decision that noted the right to marry is a fundamental right. (Washington Times, 12/14/22, Matt Delaney)

As noted in NASW's press release on 12/14/22, The Respect for Marriage Act "safeguards interracial and same sex marriages by requiring that states and state officials recognize valid marriages regardless of 'sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.' The bill requires, for federal law purposes, that an individual be considered married if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed. This gives same-sex and interracial couples additional certainty that they will continue to enjoy equal treatment under federal law as all other married couples—as the Constitution requires" and as the Supreme Court confirmed in 2015.

In response to the signing of the law, NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW stated, “NASW has long supported the rights of people who are LGBTQIA2S+ to marry whom they wish...NASW was part of an amicus brief that was behind a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for legalization of same-sex marriage across the United States. However, the rights of people to have a same-sex or interracial marriage may be under threat and we are glad and relieved the Respect for Marriage Act is now law.” Mit Joyner, DPS, MSW, LCSW stated, "The passing of the Respect for Marriage Act represents significant progress in advancing civil rights and liberties for LGBTQIA2S+ people. NASW is proud to have supported the bill and the people that it protects.” NASW Maryland commends President Biden and Congress for passing this law and NASW members, staff and volunteers for advocating, calling representatives, providing feedback, being informed and continuing to show that social workers are change agents.

Has the Respect for Marriage law impacted you or your marriage? Would you like to tell your story or your thoughts about this law? Are you interested in writing an article about your story for the January issue of The Maryland Social Worker? If so, please email us at membership.naswmd@socialworkers.org. Newspaper submissions are due by January 8th. 

View the vacancies, position descriptions, and how to submit a nomination. To contact your NCNLI representative click on the email address for the representative within your region.

For questions/inquiries, write to us at: governance@socialworkers.org or to the NCNLI Chair Curielle Duffy, curielle.duffy@gmail.com.

The co-chairs of the committee on aging, Barbara Korenblit, Nancy Kusmaul, and Liz Horn organized and planned a great event that gave social workers a space to discuss their career interests, paths, frustrations, and successes! With many combined years of experience, a passion for working with older adults, and helping social workers thrive, they continue to expertly lead the committee on aging! NASW Maryland thanks all of you for your time and your commitment!

NASW Maryland would like to thank Jennifer for assisting with almost everything we do! Jennifer has assisted the Maryland Chapter for several years in administrative, tech support, workshop moderating, and any other needs we have. Jennifer attended the Committee on Aging open house this December and stayed after the event to assist with clean-up. With her cheerful demeanor and helpful attitude, Jennifer has been able to resolve on-the-spot tech issues, create live social media events, create evaluations and CEU certificates, and organize our office setting. Thank you, Jennifer!

email: membership.naswmd@socialworkers.org