03/18/2021
Message from me to my social work interns:
As social workers, we are charged in our Code of Ethics to challenge social injustice, to help those in need, and to serve with integrity. As your supervisor, a social worker, and a q***r Asian person, I recognize that the same systems that harm and challenge the youth we serve permeates each of our lives and career paths. Social work exists because people like us and Jane Addams step up to do our part to heal and support social minorities and vulnerable communities that are otherwise targeted for harm and oppression. Whether you came to social work because you wanted to serve people like you, you wanted to end injustice in a cause you believe in, and/or healing is part of your purpose in life, make time to feel your feelings and let it drive you to action, not despair.
For folks who are not aware, there was a tragedy in Atlanta yesterday where it seems a shooter targeted Asian spas and killed eight people. Six of the victims were Asian women. I have been taking care of myself in connecting with my own community healing spaces, and also this is not the first time I have seen my community attacked. In 2016, I was in Orlando just a week after the Pulse shootings that claimed 49 lives of mostly Black and Brown q***r and trans folks. In both instances, there was a frustrating focus on the shooters and overspeculating their motives instead of honoring the lives that were taken and centering the conversations on how we transform our society to not allow injustices like that to happen again.
At my core, I know true healing calls to support both the grieving families of the victims, as well as the perpetrators who believed they were right in what they did. For the moment, I am just focusing on healing myself. I encourage you to always plan to make time for yourself, whether your days are light or burdened. You are here to serve, and also you are a whole person. Lacking further coherent thoughts, I want to close with sharing Thich Nhat Hanh's "Please Call Me By My True Names" poem:
https://plumvillage.org/articles/please-call-me-by-my-true-names-song-poem/
We invite you to listen to Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) read one of his most famous poems. It reflects a deep insight into how we cannot separate ourselves from the world around us, even those who do harm.
