ST. PAUL, MN - We must make a statement - silence holds us complicit. But our members, our communities, don't need an official statement from us to know where we stand. Social Workers fight for social justice - every.single.day. We do it with our words, with our actions, with the policies that we seek to establish and change. But it isn't enough.
The National Association of Social Workers Minnesota Chapter (NASW-MN) is sad and outraged at the events surrounding George Floyd’s death, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and community.
We're sad. We're outraged. But we're not shocked, we're not surprised. This is not new. Racism, xenophobia, police brutality, the school to prison pipeline - and too much more - are real. There is so much hate, disunity, and polarization in our world, and we simply cannot and will not stand by.
Being sad and outraged is not enough. We must do better. We must ALL join this fight. At times in our history when big shifts were made, it was because people came together. Not ALL people - we cannot wait for ALL people to get on board. Together we must start imagining and work toward an equitable future.
We're looking for ways to be part of a solution - please keep an eye out for an upcoming member chat about our next steps.
For more information on NASW-MN activities, including their response to the death of George Floyd, email: admin.naswmn@socialworkers.org