A Message on Gun Violence from GSSWSR Dean Janet Shapiro

October 6, 2021

Oct. 6, 2021

Dear GSSWSR Community,

I want to begin with how proud I am of the efforts our students, faculty, and staff have made to navigate risk, both physical, psychological and social, in the time of COVID-19, and balancing self- and community-care with the intention of mitigating the toll of the pandemic on individuals, families, and communities. Like the COVID-19 pandemic, other epidemics, such as the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S., also threaten our collective well-being. As social workers, we recognize how the dynamics of these epidemics highlight the structural inequities in our society and social disparities in health and mental health outcomes. A recent report in the Philadelphia Inquirer describes the cumulative impact of these social disparities as “intersections of injustice.”

Against the backdrop of the sharp increase of gun violence in Philadelphia, we learned this week of two tragic examples of gun-related deaths that occurred in places designed to provide safer havens and opportunities for healing. Two of our partner agencies, Jefferson University Hospital and Pathways to Housing, experienced workplace gun violence that resulted in the tragic loss of life of employees. Over many years, including this year, the GSSWSR has had students, alumni, and colleagues at these organizations. As a school we grieve for the family, friends, and co-workers of the victims and we are concerned as well about the impact on those not directly involved but nonetheless deeply affected by traumatic loss, grief, and stress. A U.S. News and World Report article describes how the indirect effects of gun violence on individuals, families, and communities reverberate beyond individual acts of violence that require both attention and calls to action.

As we work to support each other, our colleagues, and the individuals, families, organizations, and communities with whom we work, it is important to think about resources for self care in the context of our community. We can also build on our knowledge and skills to deepen our understanding and, when possible, engage in advocacy. For example, we can rely on our skills to help us: 1) develop individual, family, and community approaches to address the trauma of gun violence, 2) create opportunities to think about and address safety, for ourselves, our clients, and our communities, as a key practice issue in social work, and 3) use our skills, guided by our values, to advocate for policy changes that may lead to a reduction in gun violence.

I hope that you will reach out if there are ways that we can support you. As a start, please see the links below for resources, both within and outside of our GSSWSR community.

As always, I am grateful to be working with all of you and I am inspired by your ongoing commitments to advocacy and healing justice in your work.

Dean Janet Shapiro