Sponsor of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act, Edolphus “Ed” Towns urged social workers to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new U.S. presidential administration. Formerly a social worker and community activist in Brooklyn, NY, Towns asked his audience to get involved at this memorable Carl A. Scott Lecture. Social workers, he contended, need to "toot their own horn" about their demonstrated abilities to better serve communities. Further, Towns stated that he will rely on social workers to institute education and social policy change by uniting different communities and "tying our [community] ropes together."
The Social Work Reinvestment Act has created a commission to provide a comprehensive analysis of current trends within the academic and direct-practice social work communities. Furthermore, the act supports social work student and faculty recruitment, as well as postdoctoral research promoting usable strategies that translate research into practice across diverse community settings and service systems. Nonprofit or public community-based programs demonstrating excellence receive support to test and replicate effective interventions in aging, child welfare, military and veteran’s issues, mental and behavioral health, disability, criminal justice and correctional systems, and issues affecting women and their families. The act also addresses issues concerning high caseloads, fair market compensation, safety, supervision, and other workplace conditions.
Congressman Towns has also made a positive impact on higher education through introducing the Higher Education Opportunity Act to increase grant funding for minority-serving institutions, which have faced significant shortages in funding for technology infrastructure. Read the Congressman's full bio.
A Special Thanks to Our Cosponsor!
