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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The observance of Social Work Month in March 2023 |
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provides a welcome opportunity to raise awareness of the important |
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contributions made by members of this profession; and |
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WHEREAS, Acknowledging the long history of this vocation, the |
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National Association of Social Workers has adopted the theme |
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"Social Work Breaks Barriers" for 2023; early pioneers in the field |
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include Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Star, who opened Hull House in |
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Chicago in 1889 for the benefit of the city's large immigrant |
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population; other transformational figures have been George Edmund |
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Haynes, who cofounded the National Urban League, and Ida B. Wells, |
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the heroic women's rights and anti-lynching activist; during the |
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Great Depression, Frances Perkins, the first female secretary of |
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labor, was instrumental in the advent of the 40-hour workweek, |
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minimum wage, and Social Security; Whitney M. Young Jr., NASW |
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president in the Civil Rights era, collaborated with President |
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Lyndon B. Johnson and other leaders to end racial employment |
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discrimination; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, social work is among the fastest-growing |
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careers in the United States, with more than 700,000 professionals |
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employed in a wide variety of settings, from schools, hospitals, |
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and corporations to the criminal justice system and government |
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agencies; each day, they help people at both the individual level |
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and the systems level; while some assist with immediate needs such |
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as food, shelter, and medical care, others are involved in |
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advocating for laws and policies to effect long-term solutions; |
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they have pushed for the adoption of livable wages, workplace |
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safety measures, and other reforms; and |
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WHEREAS, Social workers play a crucial role in battling the |
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opioid crisis, and they are among the leading providers of mental |
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health care; they serve in the wake of natural disasters and in the |
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midst of family tragedies; each day, their code of ethics prompts |
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them to fight injustice and champion equal rights for all people; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, For well over a century, social workers have |
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dedicated themselves to improving the well-being of their fellow |
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Americans, and their tireless endeavors have empowered individuals |
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and strengthened communities all across the nation; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 2023 as Social Work Month. |