天美传媒

by Leslie Hunter-Gadsden, M.A. 鈥�01

In 2014 the lack of indictments in legal decisions聽related to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson,聽Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York,聽led to frustration, sadness and confusion for many聽Americans. Nationwide response, both on and off聽college campuses, included rallies stressing that聽鈥渂lack lives matter鈥� as well as questions about racial聽inequality and a system of justice that often has very聽different outcomes for citizens of color than the rest of聽the American population.

In late November 2014, Associate Professor CarolAnn Daniel, Ph.D.,聽and Assistant Professor Laura Quiros, Ph.D., wanted聽to create a forum for students and faculty members to聽have a dialogue about the events in Ferguson and Staten聽Island and what implications they had for social work.

鈥淭he sense of grief and outrage was palpable, and we聽couldn鈥檛 ignore it,鈥� Dr. Daniel said. 鈥淭he primary ethic聽of social work is to seek justice. Part of our aim was to聽have students express themselves, but also look at how聽they could effect social change. Many of the people聽that receive services from social workers are on the聽front lines of this kind of terror and are marginalized聽and often brutalized on a daily basis. And many of聽our students are affected in much the same way their聽clients are.鈥�

While white students do not fit the profile of 鈥渂lack聽male suspect,鈥� they are lacking if they are not at least聽aware of the struggles many citizens of color face. 鈥淩ace聽can鈥檛 be a taboo topic,鈥� Dr. Quiros said. 鈥淚t needs to be聽transparent in our dialogue, which is why so much of聽this work is about self-reflection and understanding聽what stops us from discussing the implications of race聽in America.鈥�

Creating a space where students feel safe to discuss a聽variety of issues is a key professional mandate for the聽School of Social Work. With the support of Associate聽Dean Bradley Zodikoff, Ph.D, and Dean Andrew Safyer,聽Ph.D., Drs. Daniel and Quiros, who are also co-chairs聽of the Student Experience Committee, asked fellow聽faculty on all four campuses鈥擥arden City, Manhattan,聽Hauppauge and Hudson Valley鈥攖o allot an hour聽between regular classes in December 2014 for students聽to engage in a series of dialogues.

Dr. Daniel noted that students varied widely in terms聽of their reactions to the ramifications of the deaths of聽Michael Brown and Eric Garner. 鈥淪ome of the white聽students were involved in victim blaming, while others聽seemed to wonder why we were having the dialogues,鈥澛爏he said, explaining that what was eye-opening was when聽students of color told of their personal experiences, or聽those of relatives, who were stopped by police.

Listening to the interchange was a moving experience聽for Dr. Daniel. 鈥淭here can鈥檛 be healing without justice聽and we can鈥檛 heal or get justice without unveiling鈥攅ven if it is uncomfortable.鈥�

Brian Valentine, 37, is a graduate student transitioning聽from a career in finance to one in social work. He聽attended two of the dialogues, because 鈥渢he issues were聽important to me as an African American male.鈥� He feels聽that being knowledgeable about the events in Ferguson聽and Staten Island are 鈥減art of the curriculum of social聽competence for all students. Some students were at the聽dialogues to vent and some were there to learn.鈥�

Valentine said that part of that learning curve means聽not only being aware of instances of questionable police聽responses when dealing with citizens of color, but also聽looking for ways to change policing policies to improve聽law enforcement in the long run. 鈥淓ven if a citizen does聽something wrong, there should be a system of justice. It聽shouldn鈥檛 be a case of petty聽crime equals death,鈥� he said.

Both Drs. Quiros and Daniel plan to keep this issue on聽the front burner for students to continue to discuss聽and address. Undergraduate and graduate students in聽the School of Social Work Garden City and Manhattan聽campuses began a Social Justice Photo Project during聽the Spring 2015 semester. Each student was asked to聽create a sign stating why they needed social justice,聽and then hold up the sign in a self-portrait. 鈥淭he plan聽is to unveil the project in the early Fall 2015 semester and have a reception to let the students talk about their聽experiences participating in the project,鈥� Dr. Daniel聽said, adding that the Hudson Valley and Hauppauge聽campuses produced banners with students signing聽sections and stating why they needed justice.

In June, Dr. Quiros, with the support of the School,聽convened a diverse group of faculty, graduate and聽doctoral students to share their thoughts and emotions聽on the murder of nine members of the Emanuel African聽Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South聽Carolina. Dr. Daniel said that the School is planning聽a one-day conference during the Fall 2015 semester聽when full-time faculty, adjunct faculty and other staff聽members will look at institutional bias, racism and聽the ways in which injustice goes unrecognized and聽unopposed in institutions.听The School of Social Work will continue to collaborate聽with other on-campus groups through the Social Justice聽Alliance. Dr. Daniel affirmed, 鈥淲e are part of the聽system, and we also need to be part of the change.鈥�