WHEREAS, for more than a century, the social work profession has been dedicated to its primary mission – improving the well-being and helping meet the basic needs of all people, especially the most vulnerable; and
WHEREAS, this year’s Social Work Month theme, Empowering Social Workers, embodies the need for society to support social workers so they can continue to do life-affirming work and help address societal needs; and
WHEREAS, social workers have helped people through personal issues like grief over the death of a loved one, as well as helping communities emotionally and mentally recover from increasing natural disasters such as fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes; and
WHEREAS, social workers have played a role in establishing a minimum wage, promoting behavioral health, Social Security, and Medicare, and worked to ensure equal rights for women, African Americans, Native Americans, AAPI, Hispanics and Latinos, and New Americans, and the wellbeing of youth and children, elders, neurodivergent, differently abled, veterans, and people who are LGBTQIA2S+; and
WHEREAS, social workers are on the front lines in helping this nation solve pressing social problems, including an increased demand for mental health services, the opioid addiction crisis, and economic inequality; and
WHEREAS, social workers are in high demand, with some states reporting shortages in social work staffing; the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that social work will be one of the fastest growing professions in our nation during this decade; and
WHEREAS, social workers operate in schools, hospitals, mental health practices, veteran centers, child welfare agencies, the criminal justice system, corporations, federal, state, and local governments, and more to meet people no matter their circumstances and empower them to live to their fullest potential;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim March, 2024, as “SOCIAL WORK MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.