Ohio SWAA

Ohio SWAA is the first statewide chapter of the Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA) in its over three decades-long history. SWAA’s mission is to promote radical social work & human services for social change. As an organization, we advocate for a practice that addresses the structural causes of human suffering and work to dismantle those structures that affect us all. Ohio SWAA seeks to bring together people working as social workers, human service workers, community workers and anyone in the allied caring fields for work or as volunteers.

Want a sounding board? Want to be visible and in connection with others who share your concerns for people and communities? Interested in seeing what change can look like? Want to bounce a practice or an assignment idea off of other like-minded people? Then join us and first let us know you are out there in Ohio by contacting us at ohioswaa@gmail.com.

In 2021, a few SWAA members and some interested persons began meeting to plot what a statewide chapter might look like, what we might do and promote, and how we can harness engaged members to do more. This, initially, was in service to helping local efforts to build on their shared concerns for the social and human service workers in their communities. Of course, some of those issues will be initiated at the state level but local chapters may have short- and long-term projects to empower the workers and service users/service participants alike.

With that in mind, our small group reached out to the SWAA contacts we had and organized an initial meeting called for these supporters as well as other social workers contacted through the Ohio NASW weekly email. That meeting occurred via Zoom to an enthusiastic welcome. However, each of the organizers saw big changes in their lives just after the meeting, and, with time passing, we are now seeking to organize again.

What’s changed? Well, COVID precautions are gone in most settings and, for some, it is “over”; Roe v. Wade was overturned; DEI and multicultural education is under attack under the rubric of being “woke” (wokeism); and in many states, liberal policy wins in some areas resulted in a backlash against transgender children and adults, their families, their friends, and those caring professionals who work alongside them. Of course, there are more issues and the national SWAA has some of the recordings of webinars and topics of our #RadChats can be found on this website.

Some efforts are parallel to radical social work and radical human service work. There are several organizations and initiatives to expand the role and visibility of “macro” social work practice which includes a Voting is Social Workprogram; campaign schools; curriculum guides; macro conferences; and a growing number of workshops at various national conferences. However, despite the large number of national and local social work organizations in the U.S. (and internationally), the analytical edge we believe radical social work provides is an important voice and movement within the “profession” and in our society.

Like our sister Connecticut SWAA chapter, we see “[o]ur work is grounded in a radical, critical perspective on social problems and addressing the individual-level trauma produced by the unjust social, economic, and political systems in which we work.  We self-consciously oppose and work to undermine all entrenched, intersectional systems of domination and exploitation of the many by the few, including racism/white supremacy, patriarchy, heterosexism and homophobia, ableism, and other forms of injustice.”

To that end, Ohio SWAA set its site on transgender rights; anti-black racism, environmental connections, and poor people’s/labor rights for initial efforts. Of course, each of these is a heavy lift but reflects some of what is happening in our state and some of the interests of those in the room. Have other issues of concern? Want to join us in that room?

Contact Us

Ohio SWAA email: ohio.swaa@gmail.com

Ohio SWAA outreach liaison, Michel Coconis, at 614-447-0012