EMPATHY
“Let me hold the door for you.
I may have never walked in your shoes,
But I can see your soles are worn.
Your strength is torn
Under the weight of a story
I have never lived before.
Let me hold the door for you.
After all you’ve walked through,
It’s the least I can do.”
Morgan Harper Nichols
I, like many of you, am angered by the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. I stand with the protestors who are screaming for an end to the racial and social disparity that exists in our country and has for hundreds of years. My feelings are overwhelming, and I say this as a white woman who has many privileges in life. I know I will never be able to fully understand the feelings of anger and despair that those of color are feeling, but I stand with you and am committed to speaking up and out for change.
As a social worker I took a professional oath to fight for social justice in our communities. As the leader of Oaks, I live by that same oath. I have been asking myself what I mean by this oath, and what am I and what are we doing to impact the disparities and improve the lives of black and brown people. I know Oaks is doing positive things to improve the criminal justice system. We are actively involved in services working with the corrections system. We train police officers throughout South Jersey in crisis intervention to help them understand mental illness and how to ease someone through a psychiatric crisis. We work closely with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Evesham Police to address the opioid epidemic that is hurting so many communities. I am proud of all this work and the relationships we have developed with the many professionals throughout the justice system. But clearly this is not enough.
The work we do requires each of us to have empathy for the people we work with whether client or colleague. The work we do requires us to have respect for our clients and our colleagues. It is clear to me that the police officers did not see George Floyd as a person, an individual with a full life, someone deserving of respect. Their indifference to his life is appalling. It is our imperative here at Oaks to see each other. It is our imperative here at Oaks to speak up when we witness indifference, when we witness abuse, when we witness disparities because it is through our voices that we will make change.
Oaks is and will continue to be part of a solution to racial injustices. We will be speaking up in a new way. We need to press this issue and we need to struggle with what we know and what we don’t know to move to an understanding that can lead to real change.
Peace,
Derry Holland, CEO
Oaks Integrated Care
