A 2007 article in Southern Living offers these picture postcard images, “Morning comes gently to Apalachicola. Oyster boats and shrimp boats begin their daily pilgrimages as the sun rises on the Florida Coast. The lights twinkle on in this fishing village, its residents ready for another day in an unspoiled paradise. If you ever wondered if such a place still exists, yes, old Florida lives here.”
The Council on Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity (CRECD) established this award to recognize doctoral students and junior faculty members with outstanding scholarship in the areas of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in social work education. An award will be given to a doctoral student and a junior faculty member during the CSWE Annual Program Meeting.
Professor Anna Ortega-Williams is a social work scholar, practitioner, researcher, and organizer who is inspired by the healing alchemy of social action, youth development, and well-being.
Professor Jama Shelton and Professor SJ Dodd recently received the “Best Note,” award for their article entitled, “Teaching Note—Beyond the Binary: Addressing Cisnormativity in the Social Work Classroom,” published in Volume 56, Issue 1 of the Journal of Social Work Education.
We are deeply troubled by the recent outbreak of hateful anti-Semitic speech, and by the violent attacks explicitly targeting Jews on the streets of New York and around the country. The age old threat of anti-Semitism has now escalated and sadly we are seeing an increase of such incidences. We unequivocally condemn these verbal and physical assaults and reiterate our strong commitment to fairness, equity, and mutual respect.
Dear Hunter Community,
Today, we have seen the American judicial system function at its best, the way it was designed to work: with equal justice for all. Yet this is a solemn moment for all of us in the Hunter community—a beginning, not an end—because we know that the commitment to end race-based inequity, once and for all, must continue. The jury verdict in Minneapolis has confirmed that Black lives matter—in society and in the law.
We stand in full support of the verdict convicting Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Floyd family. While we recognize the rightfulness of this legal outcome, we cannot forget that there is still a great deal of work to be done to end the historical legacy of racial injustices that permeates our criminal justice systems. As social workers, we remain steadfast in our commitment towards that end.
The Silberman Community
The Silberman School of Social Work community stands in solidarity with people across the USA and globally in mourning the Atlanta Spa murders of eight people, six being Asian American women. We voice our strong support to all those affected deeply by these heinous and tragic acts in Atlanta.
As Michelle Alexander notes, racism is highly adaptable in the United States. The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are challenged.
Dear Silberman Community,
At a time when so many of our democratic ideals are yet again being violently desecrated, a global pandemic has taken nearly two million lives, and the need for racial justice is far too long overdue, we, as Social Workers, remain steadfast in our resolve to defend the values and ideals of our profession. As we begin the New Year with hope, we recommit ourselves to our core values in confronting social injustice, and respecting and valuing the dignity and worth of all individuals.
The Silberman Committee for Identifying and Disrupting Ideologies of Dominance (IOD) is committed to developing actions steps to identify and disrupt practices that uphold domination and subjugation of people in our school and practice communities. This initiative invites faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners to join in dialogues to explore how the Silberman Community can eradicate the impact of ideologies of dominance in our curriculum, student support efforts, public programming, and research, scholarship, and practice.
Dear Silberman Community,
As the end of 2020 draws near, I want to take a moment to give thanks for all that you have done to forge ahead so bravely through the extraordinary challenges of this year. It has not been an easy road to follow, as you endured unprecedented obstacles in your personal, social, academic, and professional lives. Feelings of pain, fear, and loss were far too common an experience for so many throughout our Silberman community.