Engage News

ENGAGE Program Manager Fatima Salman, MSW ‘15, was elected president of NASW-Michigan.  “I am honored and excited for my new role in this, a time when social workers are needed more than ever,” says Salman. “The effects of the pandemic have magnified the mental health crisis in our nation, the need to destigmatize mental health treatment, and the essential nature of social work practitioners in helping communities heal, deal with loss and be committed to equity and inclusion in all spheres of life.  This is THE moment that all of us social workers must step up and deploy micro and macro social workers committed to anti-racist practice and ethics to address our crisis and lead Michigan in mental health recovery.” She will begin her term on July 1.

Read the ENGAGE team’s case study on Charles E. Williams II, PhD student and pastor at the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church. During the early days of the pandemic, Williams and his congregation spearheaded efforts to coordinate food delivery and other assistance to vulnerable Detroit area residents.  At the height of the response effort, 30 Black churches were mobilized to deliver 700,000 meals across the city of Detroit — allowing vulnerable residents to stay at home and help curb the spread of COVID-19.  Williams’ work exemplifies the power of connecting communities to resources, and how Michigan Social Work supports movements for social change, especially during times of crises.

Professor Trina Shanks was interviewed by West Michigan Fox Channel 17 about vaccine hesitant groups she has been researching. Shanks survey shows that over 50 percent of Detroiters intend to get the vaccine. “There’s people who literally said, 'I don’t want to take it' in December, but when the opportunity came, they did get the vaccine,” Shanks said.

Lecturer Ayesha Ghazi Edwin’s letter to the editor “Race and ethnicity shouldn’t determine women’s pay” was published in the Detroit News. Edwin discusses Asian American/Pacific Islander women’s Equal Pay Day writing “If we are to close the pay gap, we need to strengthen equal pay laws to allow women to discover and fight against pay discrimination.”

ENGAGE Program Manager Fatima Salman, MSW ‘15, is one of five alumni named as Racial Equity Fellows by Detroit Equity Action Lab. The Racial Equity Fellowship develops leaders who work to end structural racism in Detroit. Other alumni fellows include Michelle Anderson, MSW ‘01, Margo Dalal, MSW ‘18, Sibohan O’Laoire, MSW ‘13, and Robert Siporin, MSW ‘14.

Trina Shanks, Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work is named a 2021 Society for Social Work and Research Fellow. The Society for Social Work and Research Fellows are members who have served with distinction to advance the mission of the Society — to advance, disseminate and translate research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, equitable and just society. SSWR Fellows serve as role models and mentors for individuals pursuing careers in social work research.

ENGAGE Program Director and Lecturer Ayesha Ghazi-Edwin received a Certificate of Appreciation from the James T. Neubacher Awards Committee, a unit of the U-M Council for Disability Concerns. The certificate is in acknowledgment of her efforts to advance the cause of accessibility and justice for the disability community.  In addition to her work at the school, Ghazi-Edwin is also the Fund Development and Research Specialist at Detroit Disability Power, a disability justice nonprofit organization in Detroit.  She also serves on the Michigan Social Work's Inclusion and Access Taskforce. 

Established by the university’s Council for Disability Concerns in October 1990, the award is a memorial to James T. Neubacher, a university alumnus and columnist for the Detroit Free Press who advocated for equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities.