Advocacy and policy change in mental health and criminal justice with Valerie Arendt and Kathy Rogers

Policy is often discussed a national level. But most social policy that actually impacts the lives of those served by nonprofits and other social sector organizations happens at the state and local level. With the social transformations currently being brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and #BlackLivesMatter, we invited two professionals to discuss their policy and advocacy work in the areas of mental health, criminal justice, and more. First, Valerie Arendt, Executive Director of NASW North Carolina, discusses the critical role NASW has played in making state-level changes to policies in telemental health, criminal justice, and school social work. She also shares perspectives on racial justice and the social work profession. We then invited Kathy Rogers, Executive Director of Mental Health America Central Carolinas, to share resources for community mental health wellness and discuss the importance of prevention in mental health work. We also remember the life and legacy of Representative John Lewis and his call for all of us to make “good trouble” for social change.