11:42
LTE C
blackboard.liu.edu
Blended (Online & Tuesdays 12:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.)
Locations: Blackboard & Humanities 503
Extra Credit Assignment- Advocacy Assignment: Letter Written to an Editor or Federal
or State Legislator
(Total Percentage Points = up to 10)
Overview
Social justice is one of the core values of the social work profession (NASW, 2017). Social
workers manifest this value in practice, such as advocating on behalf of clients affected by social
problems. Personal letters from constituents or from readers can be powerful and effective way
to advocate to legislators or the general public, respectively.
Please e-mail a letter to a federal or state legislator or an editor of a reputable newspaper. You
can advocate for the passage of pending legislation or educate the public about a social problem,
respectively. Please note that this extra credit assignment can be an extension of your Policy
Brief Summary Paper assignment or of your participation in NASW-NYS LEAD. The national
NASW website and the state (e.g., LEAD webpage) and local (e.g., NASW-NYC) chapters are
valuable sources of information on key legislation affecting our clients and our profession.
Summary of Extra Credit Assignment
Please draft an original one-to two-page, concise letter to a federal, state, or local legislator or an
editor on a social problem or social policy issue that affects the clients served by social workers,
your employer, your field agency, or a population of your Policy Brief Summary Paper
assignment
Here are some things you might include in your letter to an elected official:
1. Address a formal letter with correct address, title, and salutation;
2. State your name, your role (e.g., a student of social work at Long Island University), and
that you are a constituent of the legislator;
3. Clearly and succinctly identify and describe the issue and exemplify it as a problem. It is
always helpful to let the public official know why you are professionally and/or
personally interested in this issue, and why this issue is important.
4. Talk about how the legislation has affected you or the people you serve. If you have a
specific client example, please include a deidentified description of their travails to obtain
their needs and/or opportunities.
5. Include a statement as to what you are asking of the editor or legislator. For example, you
might be asking them to:
a support a particular bill;
b. sign on as a co-sponsor
c. hold a public hearing
d. advocate for a particular matter
e. attend a function
f. publish your letter as an editorial
6. Request to publish the editorial or invite the public official to get back to you to discuss
this matter further, especially if you have expertise in a particular area, and that you
would be available to/or welcome an opportunity to meet with the elected official to
answer questions or to further clarify this issue.
7. Include your contact information so the legislator knows how to contact you.
8. Please proofread your e-mail prior to submission and use spell check). You also may
want to use the Writing Center. You may consult with Dr. Tice-Brown with questions.
Here’s guidance by the ACLU on writing to an editor: https://www.aclu.org/other/tips-writing-
letter-editor
Note: You should not use your employer’s or your field placement agency’s letterhead or email
account for this assignment. Please use a personal e-mail account. Please also remember the art
of persuasion (i.e., appeal by authority, appeal with facts, appeal to emotion).
Please e-mail copy of the e-mail, the send receipt, and any response to Dr. Tice-Brown at
[email protected] by Friday, May 10, 2019, at 12:00 p.m.