After Orlando / #PulseOrlando: #MacroSW Chat – Open Mic 06-23-16

Pat Shelly, Univ. at Buffalo School of Social Work, , , , ,

In the wake of the Orlando shooting (we will use #PulseOrlando as our hashtag for this chat), we feel heartache, sadness and anger. We may be left wondering why this happened and how we can prevent future tragedies. The details of the shooting and the stories of survival and loss after #PulseOrlando reveal some of the most complex social problems of our era:  homophobia, racism, hate crimes and gun violence.

(Read the edited archive of this chat here)

 

image: kyliesoniquelove

 

Join us on Thursday, June 23 at 9 pm EST / 8 pm CT / 6 pm PT for an open mic chat to share thoughts, further our understanding and explore solutions for building a safer and more tolerant body politic.

 

 

 

 

The Orlando shooting  shows once again how  LGBTQ people are more likely to be a target of a hate crime; the intersections of race, gender and sexuality; the consequences of easy access to guns; internet influence on domestic terrorism; and the vilification of Islam in the US. Trauma-informed care will be of utmost importance and advocacy in this election year, spearheaded by macro practitioners and many others, will shape our national response to these issues. Our coordinated approach as a profession is crucial.

Some questions to guide the discussion:

  1. How has this event affected you and your community?
  2. How has being trained as a social worker prepared you to address the aftermath of Orlando?
  3. How do we best support those affected by trauma and violence in the aftermath of #PulseOrlando?
  4. How can we ensure we don’t spread secondary trauma?
  5. What is the role of social media in coping with events such as the Orlando shooting?
  6. How are you / your community practicing self-care?

Resources: (another resource list – an Orlando Syllabus for Social Workers – is posted below )

#PulseOrlandoSyllabus – Extensive resources crowdsourced and collected by librarians

Park, H. and Mykhyalyshyn, I. 2016 (June 16). L.G.B.T. People Are More Likely to Be Targets of Hate Crimes Than Any Other Minority Group. New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/06/16/us/hate-crimes-against-lgbt.html?_r=1

Note: Many tweets about #PulseOrlando use “Latinx” instead of Latina/o. Why?
“The ‘x’ makes Latino, a masculine identifier, gender-neutral. It also moves beyond Latin@ – which has been used in the past to include both masculine and feminine identities – to encompass genders outside of that limiting man-woman binary.
Latinx, pronounced ‘La-teen-ex,’ includes the numerous people of Latin American descent whose gender identities fluctuate along different points of the spectrum, from agender or nonbinary to gender non-conforming, genderqueer and genderfluid.”
http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/our-issues/why-we-say-latinx-trans-gender-non-conforming-people-explain

  

pulse-orlando-header-672x372AN ORLANDO SYLLABUS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS

This post was created by Karen Zgoda, Pat Shelly, and Sheri LaBree, MSW – one of Karen’s former students. It is cross-posted to reach as many people as possible.

Here is a Macro Social Work version of an #OrlandoSyllbus. It can help us understand the facts and the complex layers of meaning of the June 12, 2016 massacre at the Pulse nightclub. It includes some implications for social work practice.

Please note the #PulseOrlandoSyllabus,  listed below,  is extensive. It includes current articles, in addition to less recent publications.

 

Intro by Sheri LaBree:

Much has been written in the media regarding the massacre that took place in Orlando on June 11th. Politicians, pundits and other talking heads have discussed the motives of the attacker, the morals of those that were injured or killed, and of course, they have talked about gun control.

What do we know, nearly two weeks later? Very little. We know that 49 individuals were murdered, and dozens were injured.

The attack occurred at a “gay nightclub.” To me, this label is misleading. Pulse, the nightclub where this occurred, was a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community. It was a safe place. Or at least it was supposed to be.

These people were more than “just” gay. They were sisters, brothers, cousins, coworkers, friends. Like all of us, their lives cannot be neatly divided into labels. The murdered include a social worker, an accountant, a dancer, and an aspiring nurse, among others.

Was this massacre a hate crime against the LGBTQ community? Was it the work of an Islamic terrorist? We may never know. Here’s the question: does it matter? These are people who faced discrimination and obstacles that most of us will never encounter, based solely on their sexual identity. Their lives should be celebrated. They should not be labeled, because they deserve so much more.

The importance of LGBTQ identity is a subject far too big to discuss here. My message is that we should remember the people who were murdered as whole people, with full lives that are multi-faceted and complex.

ORLANDO SYLLABUS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS Compiled by Karen Zgoda and Pat Shelly

Victims:

Syllabi:

General

  • On Orlando and Beyond. (2016).  Danna Bodenheimer. http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/real-world-clinical-sw/on-orlando-and-beyond/
    Excerpt:     There isn’t much for me to say about Orlando that hasn’t already been said. Most of the debates about the underlying causes of this massacre have happened somewhere in the media or on Facebook. That said, it seems irresponsible and avoidant to write about anything else this week – because, the fact is, even with everything that has already been articulated, we need to keep talking. And talking and talking and talking. And while I have no overarching goal in talking about what happened in Orlando, there are a few points that I would like to make that feel particularly relevant to us as clinical social workers.

Hate Crimes

 


Latinx

 

( *6 Articles from #PulseOrlandoSyllabus with focus on LGBTQ, Trans, and people of color:)

Misogyny:

Queer Muslims

Social Work

Motivation

Impact on Children

 Gun Control Policy & Actions

About #MacroSW:

#MacroSW is a collaboration of social workers, organizations, social work schools, and individuals working to promote macro social work practice. Macro social work practice focuses on changing larger systems, such as communities and organizations. It encompasses a broad spectrum of actions and ideas, ranging from community organizing and education to legislative advocacy and policy analysis. The chats are held weekly on Twitter every Thursday at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. PST). Click here for a list of chat partners. For information about how to participate in the #MacroSW chat, view our FAQs. For chat schedule and chat archives check out: http://macrosw.com

Published by Pat Shelly, Univ. at Buffalo School of Social Work

UB SSW provides graduate-level degrees, including the MSW, PhD, dual degrees (MSW/JD or MBA or MPH), and a fully-online MSW and DSW degrees.

4 Comments

  1. Pingback: #PulseOrlandoSyllabus, #PulseOrlando & #MacroSW | Karen Zgoda
  2. Pingback: After Orlando / #PulseOrlando: #MacroSW Chat – Open Mic 06-23-16 | SocialWorkSynergy
  3. Pingback: #PulseOrlando - The Political Social Worker
  4. Pingback: After Orlando, A MacroSW Chat – Relando Thompkins-Jones

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