WHEREAS, March 2021 is recognized nationally as Social Work Month, and this year’s theme is “Social Workers Are Essential,” which embodies the heroic contribution of the social work profession to our nation, including the work social workers have done to heal our nation during these times of pandemic, racial unrest, economic uncertainty, and political divisiveness; and

WHEREAS, Social workers have always been present in times of crisis helping people overcome issues, such as death and grief, and helping people and communities recover from natural disasters, such as fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes; and

WHEREAS, Social workers play a crucial role in our nation’s health care system and have played a key role in this nation’s response to COVID-19 and helping individuals, families, and communities cope with the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, School social workers have worked with families and schools throughout the pandemic to ensure students reach their full academic personal potential; and

WHEREAS, The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance and meet the basic needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs of, and empowerment through social action and social justice for, those who are poor, oppressed, and living in poverty; and

WHEREAS, Social workers have helped this nation live up to its values by successfully advocating for equal rights for all people, no matter their race, culture, religion, sexual identity, gender, gender expression, culture, religion, or abilities; and

WHEREAS, Today, there are over 713,000 professional social workers in the United States, over 78,000 of whom are in California; and there are approximately 7,000 graduate students in the social work pipeline in 28 accredited California State University, University of California, and private programs throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, Professional social workers train in an intensive combination of classroom and community experiences focused on individuals, families, and communities in crisis and in need of help; and

WHEREAS, Professional social workers provide services across the age spectrum, from prenatal to end of life services; and

WHEREAS, Professional social workers serve in diverse settings, including schools, courtrooms, health clinics, hospitals, senior centers, homeless shelters, nursing homes, the military, disaster relief, prisons, corporations, and in political office; and

WHEREAS, The social work profession, for more than a century, has been on the cutting edge of helping create changes to make our society a better place to live, including voting rights, criminal justice reform, a minimum wage, and social safety net programs that ameliorate poverty and hunger; and

WHEREAS, Social workers stand ready to help our society overcome current pressing issues, including equal rights for all, the need for improved availability of health care and mental health services, immigration reform, voting rights, and the environmental impact of global warming; and

WHEREAS, Professional social workers who have served in Congress include the Honorable Ron Dellums, MSW, the Honorable Barbara Lee, MSW, the Honorable Karen Bass, MSW, and the Honorable Susan Davis, MSW, and professional social workers who serve and have served in the California State Legislature include the Honorable Mary Salas, BSW, the Honorable Patty Berg, B.A. in social work, the Honorable Mariko Yamada, MSW, and the current Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Honorable Tony Thurmond, MSW; and

WHEREAS, Professional social workers who have combined their leadership skills and knowledge of community development into distinguished positions include Arturo Rodriguez, MSW, former President of the United Farmworkers Organization, Terrence Roberts, MSW, PhD, original member of the Little Rock Nine and former Assistant Dean in the UCLA School of Social Welfare, and Caitlyn Ryan, LCSW, Director of the Family Acceptance Project; now, therefore, be it