Even during COVID, connection and reflection are important to student learning. Professors Rogério M. Pinto and Beth Sherman and the students from Social Justice and Diversity in Social Work rendezvous for an in-person viewing of the Black Lives Matter Memorial, currently touring southeastern Michigan. The installation was created by John Thorne of Detroit and his 14-year-old son to honor those fallen to anti-black violence. The Memorial — dozens of plain wooden crosses bearing names and photos of victims, from Emmett Till to George Floyd, and a cross for unknown victims — is currently in a front yard on Mark Hannah Drive on Ann Arbor's West Side. Students spent nearly an hour viewing the memorial, reading accompanying materials and participating in a roll call of the names. They were joined by Common Roots, the School of Social Work's planning committee for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students.
In addition to seeing the memorial, the event gave students a rare opportunity: to meet and socialize in person. "Our class is all online," Pinto explains, "so seeing the memorial together in person was very moving, especially in light of our studying anti-blackness in class." Sherman added, "I am so grateful to Mr. Thorne and his son, for all that they created and shared with us."
Says Ezra Brown, MSW '21, "This was a wonderful event. It allowed the class to meet others in person, to make connections and to see this important memorial."
