NABSW Response to Palin's Mockery of Community Organizers

National Association of Black Social Workers Challenges Palin’s Mockery of Community Organizers

The National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) is saddened that the meaningful and life-changing work carried out by community organizers across America was denigrated during the recent Republican National Convention.
The mocking insults - particularly the inference from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that community organizers have no “real responsibilities” - clearly show that the she is out of touch with the people who work in the communities she seeks to serve, said Dr. Gloria Batiste-Roberts, president of NABSW.
Social workers are community organizers, said Dr. Batiste-Roberts, and deserve more respect for the challenging yet rewarding work that they do, often without loud praise and large paychecks. Colleges and universities across America are training the next generations of community organizers and social workers who excitedly train to serve a cause bigger than themselves - improving, in part, the whole of humanity.
“From the Founding Fathers of this country, to those of the Abolitionist and Women’s Suffrage movements, to the men, women and children who courageously marched for Civil Rights, it has always been community organizers who have borne the responsibility and been the catalysts for change when history called upon them to overturn grave injustices to disenfranchised groups and empower them, from the grassroots level, with the skills for self-improvement and effective problem-solving,” she said.
The National Association of Black Social Workers strongly urges candidates to keep the campaign about the issues, not a mocking of one’s life work.
“It’s sad and outrageous that we have a potential Vice President of the United States of America with no real concept that community organizers have real responsibilities in real communities facing real problems that affect real people across this nation,” said Dr. Batiste-Roberts. “Gov. Palin owes a debt of gratitude to community organizers who were integral to the Women’s Suffrage Movement, for if they did not have responsibilities, she would not be able to vote, nor be a candidate for Vice President of the United States of America.”
NABSW was established in 1968 to advocate and address important social issues that impact the health and welfare of the Black community. Our affiliate chapters, including student chapters, are spread throughout the United States. Additionally, we have chapters and affiliate groups in Africa, Canada and the Caribbean.

National Association of Black Social Workers, Inc.
2305 Martin Luther King Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20020
Phone: (202) 678-4570
Fax: (202) 678-4572
Email: office@nabsw.org