Beginning in March 2020, Associate Dean for Research Dr. Rogério Meireles Pinto, along with the Faculty Allies for Diversity, led a series of conversations focused on the intersectional and compounding impact of COVID-19.

The sessions began as a way to create space for engaging our community during the virtual transition around the topics of xenophobia, stigmatization and discrimination arising in response to the pandemic. In collaboration with various offices and committees, we hosted local and national guest panelists. Under the overarching theme of “Identities and Vulnerabilities,” discussions explored the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities and populations and analyzed responses to shifting trends in relation to social work practices.

The series, which reached a global audience, also explored COVID-19 as it relates to white supremacy, police brutality and anti-Blackness. Topics included identity and vulnerability to COVID-19; impact of COVID-19 on imprisoned populations; COVID-19, white supremacy and Black women’s concerns; and COVID-19 disparities and returning to work and school, among others.