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EDITORIAL
By
CENIE JOMO WILLIAMS, JR.,
NABSW Executive Director

This year marks our Tenth Anniversary.  It's important that we take time out to reaffirm our commitment to the Black community and rededicate ourselves to the principles embodied in our code of ethics. The same oppressive racist conditions that prompted us to organize an all Black social workers organization ten years ago still exist today. After a large influx of Black students into the schools of social work during the late 60's and early 70's, their numbers have progressively decreased. After a liberalization of various scholarship programs during the same period, today Black students are finding less funds are available to them for entering schools. After steady progress of improving the employment and promotional status of Blacks in white controlled social service agencies and the schools of social work, our contracted economy has prompted white executives and Deans to fire and lay off a disproportionate number of Blacks. Although the recalcitrant attitude of Whites is disturbing and is epitomized in the Bakke Case, what is even more disturbing is the lackadaisical attitude of Blacks toward the recalcitrant attitudes of Whites.

Over the past year, NABSW has been consistent and unwavering in fighting for the interests of the Black Social Worker in Particular and the Black Community in general.

Some of the activities over the past year have been the following:

1. NABSW organized a coalition of Black groups into and effective opposition force based on our Social Welfare reform program and our analysis of Pres. Carter's Welfare Reform Program which we concluded was inadequate which we concluded was inadequate to meet the basic needs of individuals receiving public assistance (see first page article on welfare reform).

2. NABSW attempted to educate the Public and the Black community of the inadequacy of President Carter's Welfare reform bill by participating in public hearings around the country and circulating its analysis of President Carter's bill to individuals and groups around the country.

South Africa
3. NABSW opposed White South African's suppression of the Black majority of that country legitimate rights to self-determination and specifically the recent mass killing of Blacks and their National leader Steve Biko. We conducted a nationawide Letter Campaign and collected 10,000 signatures on petitions. NABSW also supported the congressional Black Caucus' position against South Africa oppression of Black people. NABSW also supported the Black South Africans at the ICSW and IFSW Conferences that were held in Puerto Rico during the month of July 1976. At those meetings, the South African Blacks petitioned to become the legitimate representatives to those world bodies as opposed to the Whites who now pretend to represent South Africa.

4. NABSW continues to oppose the licensing of social workers. We continue to disavow any association with efforts to accomplish this end. The concept of licensing, contrary to the statement of its advocates, undermines the struggle to improve the standards of quality service to the total population requiring human services.

NABSW has been successful in defeating licensing bills around the country. To maintain this success, a nationwide strategy meeting was held in Philadelphia on 

[[image]]
Cenie Jomo Williams, Jr.
[[caption]]Brother Williams was elected as Vice President of the N.Y.U. Chapter of NABSW in 1968. In 1969, he was elected President of the New York City Chapter of NABSW. In 1970 he was the 1st Elected President of NABSW. In 1974, he was appointed Executive Director of NABSW. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from eight (8) Chapters to the current one hundred and forty (140) Chapters, not including over 30 affiliates on the International level. During the Summer of 1974, he travelled to over fifteen (15) countries in Africa, including South Africa, where he established ties internationally with Black Social Workers and African leaders on behalf of NABSW. [[/caption]]

October 1, 1977. The result will be a more expanded effort to defeat licensing in 1978.

5. NABSW continues to oppose transracial Adoption and to work towards educating the Black community of the need for adopting Black children. Since our position against transracial adoption in 1972, there has been a marked increase in the number of Black parents adopting Black children and some improvements by agencies to eliminate their red tape and cumbersome procedures that prevented Black parents from adopting. However, articles written by (SO CALLED "Black magazines"), such as Ebony do not contribute any knowledgable enlightenment to this issue.
contribute any knowledgeable enlightenment to this issue.

6. NABSW supports the position that medicaid funds be made available for abortions in order that poor women, many of whom are Black, can also exercise their rights to have abortions.

7. Additional, efforts have been reestablished and strong ties with the Congressional Black Caucus. We met with Congressman Mitchell, and he invited NABSW to submit amendments to the Humphrey/Hawkins Employment Bill as well as to assist the Black Caucus in deciding its welfare reform positions and to articulate these positions in legislation. Also, we will be working very closely with the Black Caucus on a National Health Task Force being set up to assess the health care needs of Blacks all over the country and many other forms of legislation.

8. Understanding the implications for Black groups, NABSW contributed over $1,000.00 to the NAACP Fund. This contribution was for the purpose of assisting them in their case in Mississippi.

9. In memory of Martin Luther King and in support of his work continued by his wife, NABSW contributed $1,000.00 to the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta.

10. Over $1,000 was contributed to the Brothers and Sisters in South Africa to assist their fight against oppression. In addition, NABSW collected $10,000.00 and presented it to

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