The Social Work Lens

Human Rights & the work of VT’s Human Rights Commission with Big Hartman

Did you know Vermont has a Human Rights Commission?  Are you curious about what rights and protections you and/or your clients have under Vermont state law? Join Cassie as she speaks with Big Hartman, the Executive Director & General Counsel of VT’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) about what the VT HRC does, and how their work promoting full civil and human rights in Vermont is being impacted in this current moment.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes & Transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Affirm, Connect, Resist: How Community Shapes Trans Liberation - Part 2

PART 2- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening.

This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all.

This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all.

 

Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

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Affirm, Connect, Resist: How Community Shapes Trans Liberation - Part 1

PART 1- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening.

This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all.

This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all.

 

Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Follow us on IG  @thesocialworklens

“Immigration is a Human Right”

We recently brought you an episode on the political and legal landscape of Immigration. In this episode, we take it down to the personal level and bring you the voices of two Vermont high school students who talk about their daily experiences in the midst of this national conversation. Join us as we talk with students Gabby & Stacey, their teacher Caitlin Macleod-Bluver, and their Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.

Shownotes & Transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Please note – Gabby & Stacey were very active in the movement to have their high school designated as a sanctuary school. If you are interested in more information about this work please see the links below, or watch Wilmer, Caitlin, Gabby & Stacy in action at the school board meeting here https://www.mediafactory.org/winooski-schools?modal=45,episode,235066

 

Immigration 101 with Jill Martin Diaz

Are you wondering what is actually going on with Immigration in the United States right now? Are you curious about what these executive orders mean and how the system is ‘supposed’ to work? We are too! Join us as we speak with Jill Martin Diaz from the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project about immigration, and what social workers and helping professionals need to know.

Shownotes & Transcripts @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

 

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 3- The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work.

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 3: The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work featuring Dr. Brenda Solomon.

Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ 

Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 2- Voices from the Conference

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 2: Voices from the Conference.

Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ 

Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 1 - What is a Title IV-E Roundtable Anyway?

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 1: What is a Title IV-E Roundtable Anyway?

Show notes & transcripts  available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ 

Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

 

Special Episode! The Social Work Lens Welcomes VT Attorney General Charity Clark

Are you confused about what is happening in this political moment? So are we! Thankfully, VT Attorney General Charity Clark dropped by the studio to help us sort through the news, recent executive orders, and the work of the VT Attorney General’s Office.

Show notes available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

The Social Work Lens Presents... Audio Nuggets Episode 35 - Myah Overstreet

This week we are sharing one of our favorite podcasts with you! Please enjoy this episode of Mining for Gold’s podcast: Audio Nuggets.  Links, transcripts, and shownotes available at https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Welcome to the cypher, right here on Audio Nuggets! On Audio Nuggets we strive to bend the arc of non-linear modes through conversations that tug and pull from the best of who we are. We give ourselves rooted permission to tell a collective story of the principled struggle for liberation. We are filled with joy and honored to be joined by Myah Overstreet for Episode 35: To Be Invisible—A True Narrative.

Myah Overstreet is a filmmaker and journalist. Her area of focus is on the intersection of culture and racial injustices among marginalized communities. She is dedicated to amplifying bold, untold stories. Just two weeks ago, Myah’s documentary “To Be Invisible” was published on The New Yorker site. The film follows the journey of Alexis and Kelley as they demand the return of their children from the family police in North Carolina.

Shining light and love on Black women was always what Myah wanted to focus her work on. In this episode, we unpack Myah’s journey to using film and journalism to tell the true narrative of reproductive justice rights of Black women, and the policing of bodies--the story that is not talked about. Myah shares the evolution of the film and how she joined with mothers and activists in the movement to abolish family policing to tell the story. Myah brings life and love to the film to magnify what’s been hidden. Every story that is told in this true narrative is getting us closer to a new world!