To the Silver Community,
As I approach my final days as your Dean at Silver, I am saddened to again be writing to you about the recent spate of horrifying, high-profile mass shootings in our nation (most recently and visibly in Buffalo, Uvalde Texas, Tulsa, Chattanooga, and Philadelphia,
among others).
Many shootings are less visible than these, and it is so deeply disheartening to hear of the ongoing murderous actions that end the lives of those who are wholly innocent, most vulnerable, and most often “othered” and marginalized.
As I have noted before, such tragic moments are dually made possible by a larger discourse of hatred coursing through our national fabric, combined with readily accessible guns, especially those that are designed as weapons of war. As in prior exasperatingly painful moments like these, we all risk falling prey to feeling resigned and disempowered, or simply angry and disillusioned. But I am reminded that through pain can come growth, change, and potentially even transformation. In the wake of the deadly mass shooting at Parkland High School, for example,
legislation was successfully passed in twenty-five states (governed by both major political parties) that made accessing lethal firearms more restricted and reasonable. And at this moment many states,
including our own state of New York, are moving forward with the passage of new laws that help ensure that people who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others cannot and do not have easy access to firearms. There is so much more that we can, should and must do, however, and it remains to be seen what progress we can make as a nation to end the epidemic of gun violence that we experience far more than any other nation on the planet.
At times like these, we must face the pain, and then continue efforts on what will be a long and difficult road to end the epidemic of lethal gun violence. I want to remind us that there are
resources and organizations that are leading this charge. And for those who need support to process these most recent events, please reach out to the
NYU Wellness Exchange either by appointment or 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone (212-443-9999) or chat (through the Wellness Exchange app for iPhone or Android).
As social workers, we are called upon to address some of the most painful and complicated problems of our day, and we again face an opportunity to do the work in order to end this national travesty and tragedy of gun violence.