Close Close

A Message from the School of Social Work Regarding the Orlando Shootings

The horrific violence that occurred on Latino night against members of the LGBTQ community in Orlando, Florida last week has shocked and saddened all of us. As a School, we offer our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and we also offer our support and assistance to all those affected by this tragedy and who will feel its aftereffects for some time to come.

As a School that values human rights and promotes social justice, we believe it is imperative that we reaffirm our commitment to working towards a society that is inclusive and that supports and protects the rights of all people.

We also must realize that violence like we witnessed last week is not limited to our own borders, but also occurs in a number of other countries around the world. We are a profession that is part of a global community that also needs to continue to work for justice wherever injustice occurs and to support our fellow social workers in other countries who are also trying to do the same.

We stand against global and local policies and discourse based on hate and exclusion. We commit to working towards a society that is inclusive and supports and protects the rights of all people by engaging in courageous conversations within and across our communities with the purpose of changing policies and laws that are based on hate and social exclusion and creating ones based on inclusion, human rights and social justice.