This is a call to action. I’m sure all of us are reeling from the recent murders of black citizens, I know I am. To many Black, Indigenous, Mixed-Race and People of Color (BIPOC) the civil unrest we are seeing is not unexpected – it is long overdue. As a person of color and social worker, I am holding on to our professional value of challenging Social Injustice and Dignity and Worth of a Person. We happen to be part of a profession that is not value-neutral when it comes to challenging social injustice. This means we should be in full solidarity with our Black colleagues, clients, and community members.

However I want to be clear, this is not a temporary or short term goal. It’s not enough to voice our disgust or opposition to racism. One of the ways racism continues to thrive is by not following through with action. We might have good intentions but real change comes from the commitment to a life long development of our critical awareness, being radically honest of the ways in which we (and I mean every single one of us) contributes to upholding white supremacy culture and systemic racism. Based on our awareness we reflect and create intentional action to challenge our privilege from a system that is set up to oppress Black people.

Things to keep in mind while doing this work:

  • Center the voices of BIack people, not your own
  • Listen but don’t ask Black and people of color to educate you
  • Take action with yourself, at your home, at your work, in your community

Organization to support:

  1. Black Lives Matter
  2. Know Your Rights Camp
  3. American Civil Liberty Union
  4. Showing Up For Racial Justice

Professional questions we should be asking ourselves:

  • Can I identify the ways in which white supremacy culture is showing up in my work?
  • Can I make a list of the actions I’ve taken to challenge systemic racism?
  • How can I further decolonize my clinical practice and integrate anti-oppressive frameworks?
  • How am I supporting my BIPOC or colleagues?

Resources to check out:

To my BIPOC colleagues,

Please know that the Diversity, Equity, and Transformation (DET) committee is in solidarity with you. It’s an incredible time to be witnessing a fight for the right to accept that Black Lives Matter let alone be seen as valuable and integral to our society. As chair and founder of the DET committee, I am re-evaluating my role and committing to integrating a stronger focus on anti-Blackness, colorism, and the genocide of Native and Indigenous folks in our objectives. I am recognizing my own privilege of being Asian and that means I need to bolster the voices of my Black, Native, and Indigenous members because I too have benefited from this oppressive system. I am also committing to support the National Association of Black Social Workers code of ethics and will think of ways to integrate this into my own work as a POC Social Worker.

I encourage you to join us at our first BIPOC consultation group this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. (this event has opened up to additional attendees). This is a space dedicated to supporting us as social workers and community members. Providing services during this time is an incredible ask on us right now both with how COVID and health care disproportionately affect the Black Community and the protest. We are happy to spend time processing this as it does impact how we show up as clinicians. I leave you with the wise words of Audre Lorde:

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

For anyone that is feeling lost but is genuinely wanting support on how to get involved, how to make changes in their professional practice, or anything else related to dismantling racism please feel free to reach out to me at jayaxroy@gmail.com.

With Gratitude your DET Chair and Founder,
Jaya Roy, M.A., A.S.W.