NASW hosted a Facebook Live panel discussion to share concerns and a plan of action after Donald J. Trump was declared the winner of the Nov. 5 presidential election.
An NASW public statement in response to the election results said the association is deeply troubled by comments Trump has made regarding immigrants, women, people who are LGBTQIA2S+, and people of color—and it will challenge any of his policies that harm the nation’s most vulnerable populations.
NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, moderated the “The NASW Post Election Call to Action” discussion. “This is not new for us,” he said. “Social work has its history in civil rights, gender equality, the LGBTQ community, immigration and refugee movements. We are all about this space, advocating for change.”
Panelist Ja’Bree Harris, a public policy and advocacy manager at NASW, pointed out that Trump did not actually garner more votes in 2024 than he did in 2020. He said 84 million people voted for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 election, but only 64 million voted for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024. Trump sustained in 2024 the 76 million votes he received in 2020.
Panelist Christina McCarthy, executive director of NASW’s Florida and Virgin Islands chapters, said it’s important that social workers focus on what they are good at: connecting and helping others.
“There is always something to fight for,” McCarthy said. “That is why we got into the job we did. Even though I’m in a red state and it looks really gloomy, I know that tomorrow I can make a difference—even if that is talking to someone and saying ‘I hear you, your feelings are valid.’
“We are not just bystanders on the journey, we’re champions of change,” Harris said. “Every time we speak up, organize and demand action, we affirm our values of community and compassion that drive our profession.”
Panelist Johanna Byrd, executive director of the NASW Pennsylvania Chapter, said social workers need to find ways to have a “shared reality” with people they may not always agree with. “If we don’t, we will never be able to build the type of community we’re thinking of,” she said. “When we talk about organizing, it’s going to be one day at a time.”
Panelist Dina Kastner, a public policy and advocacy manager at NASW, said social workers can make a difference in the new administration by coalition building. “All the issues we work on at the federal level and the state level are through coalitions,” she said. “We work with other organizations that have similar goals as we do.”
One example is public service and student loan debt relief, she said. “We can only do that by being in coalition with other groups. ... We need to work in coordination with public interest lawyers, doctors that work with federally qualified health centers, teachers, firefighters, the whole host of public servants to really get our voice across.”
“We need to build relationships with our elected officials no matter which side of the aisle they are on,” Kastner added. “Go to town hall meetings, write editorials in the newspapers. There are a lot of activities that can be done to make your voice be heard.”
Panelist Mel Wilson, senior policy adviser for NASW, agreed that joining coalitions with like-minded organizations is key to making a difference, especially when helping families facing possible deportation.
“We have to be able to work with groups that put pressure on the administration. That allows us and others to at least monitor things,” Wilson said. Groups are already making plans to counteract any efforts for mass deportation, he said.
There were some bright spots in this year’s general election as well.
NASW’s Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) endorsed 167 candidates in the general election. So far, NASW-PACE has had 137 wins (82%) and 19 losses (11.3%). Eleven races were still undecided at press time.
Two social work members of Congress also won their races, Kastner noted. They are U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., and U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas.
For the first time ever there will be two Black women in the U.S. Senate at the same time, thanks to voters selecting Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware. Rochester will become the first Black woman to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate. Their victories double the number of Black women ever elected to the U.S. Senate, from two to four.
“We were able to elect our first trans woman to Congress, Sarah McBride from Delaware, which does speak to this turning tide of where we are as a society,” Estreet said.
“Make no mistake about it,” he said. “While over half the country did vote for former President Trump, there are several millions of people voting for progress and change. That’s where we build our community, that’s where we build this area of space to engage and continue to fight forward.”
Watch a message from NASW CEO Anthony Estreet about the election results.