School of Social Work News

Associate Dean for Research and Professor Rogério M. Pinto is the lead on the project “Brazil Theater Exchange: Innovation for Social Work Education,” which was recently awarded a Council on Social Work Education’s Katherine A. Kendall Institute of International Social Work Education grant. Since 2015 the Kendall Institute has awardedgrants that support international social work education projects that help prepare United States students for global citizenship and encourage opportunities for international social work.

“Brazil Theater Exchange: Innovation for Social Work Education” uses self-referential drama techniques to prepare social workers to overcome service barriers and enhance advocacy by developing and evaluating theater methods for social work education.

Professor Robert Joseph Taylor was quoted in Salon and CNN: "People are talking about the race disparity in COVID deaths, they're talking about the age disparity, but they're not talking about how race and age disparities interact: They're not talking about older Black adults."

At a faculty town hall earlier this month, U-M President Mark Schlissel compared the COVID-19 pandemic to the HIV epidemic in regards to testing. As a result of his remarks, the School’s Queer Advocacy Coalition (QAC) started a petition and called for a public apology. In an email to QAC, Schlissel apologized saying “The analogy I used is not a good or fair one. … It was not my intention to disparage any community or person affected by HIV and AIDS.”

He adds, “I want to take this opportunity to explicitly denounce all bigoted myths or attempts to stigmatize people who have HIV or AIDS. They are not only harmful, but they also directly counter the equitable and inclusive environment I and many others continuously attempt to foster here at U-M.”

The political and social unrest in Wisconsin in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake echoes the violence that killed George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black lives. This is happening again and again because violence against Black bodies and minds has been institutionalized, normalized, as Black people have been dehumanized. 

Michigan Social Work stands with others in demanding justice, equity and accountability. We join the resounding cry that BLACK LIVES MATTER because achieving racial justice requires a movement, not a moment, and none of us can afford to sit this one out. We demand justice for this life that is hanging in the balance and for all lives lost.

Natasha Johnson, PhD ‘20, has received a $5,000 Racial Injustice Award From the U-M Depression Center for her research on racism awareness among Black youths. Her research has the potential to provide empirical support for intervention programs aimed at combating racism by developing a psychometric tool that will evaluate resilient pathways for racially marginalized youth.

Joyce Lee, PhD student, has co-authored a children's book on fighting anti-Asian racism during COVID-19. The book is free and provides an educational resource to help generate meaningful discussions between adults and children about anti-Asian racism.

Assistant Professor Fernanda Lima Cross' new research finds that parents who are undocumented immigrants are more likely than documented parents to teach mistrust to their children and to be wary of interactions with law enforcement. "Ethnic-racial socialization is often used to prepare adolescents for life outside of the home and tends to be protective," says Cross.

On Wednesday, Detroit teachers voted to authorize a “safety strike,” should their concerns about protective equipment and protocols not be met.  Associate Research Scientist Roland Zullo spoke with the Detroit Free Press about the potential legal consequences and public reaction. "No one knows about the exact risks" of COVID-19, Zullo said. "I don't think it'd be unreasonable and my guess is that the public would be on the teachers' side."