Advocates' Forum 2011: Letter from the Editor

Our increasingly diverse society faces a range of social issues and challenges, domestically and globally. The authors in this year’s edition of Advocates’ Forum address justice, empowerment, advocacy, and other themes at the heart of effective social work policy and practice. Readers are called to examine their individual potential to advocate for disenfranchised communities from Chicago to Haiti to Asia. The articles affirm the commitment of students at the School of Social Service Administration to work towards a more equitable global society, and, as Alex Kotlowitz suggests, to continually fortify the human spirit.

I would like to sincerely thank and recognize those whose hard work and dedication made this issue possible: Professor Virginia Parks, Advocates’ Forum’s faculty advisor; Daniel Listoe, editing consultant; Julie Jung, Director of Communications; Penny Johnson, Dean of Students; and Dean Neil Gutterman. Additionally, I would like to extend a special thank you to Alex Kotlowitz, who wrote Advocates’ Forum’s first guest foreword and affirmed the important role of social workers in our communities. Finally, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the editorial board whose collective work shaped this edition of the journal in important ways, and make me proud to present the 2011 issue of Advocates’ Forum.