three nine twenty one (3/9/21)

Authors

Keywords:

poetry, anti-Asian hate, social work education, resistance, liberatory pedagogy

Abstract

This is a poem that emerged in the wake of another incident of anti-Asian violence and my own rage and exhaustion as a queer, Filipina-American social work educator and scholar-mama, teaching throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the endemic of anti-Blackness in the United States. I reflect on the experiences of feeling sadness and anger towards Asian community members who support white supremacy, feeling like the energy that goes into my teaching is built to be drained, and the loneliness of the work. The poem ends with a metaphorical monstrosity of the body of a woman of color in the academy that appears briefly and then slinks away seeking shelter and solace, buried in the sand.

Author Biography

Antonia R. G. Alvarez, Portland State University

Antonia R. G. Alvarez, PhD, LMSW is Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University, OR (antonia.alvarez@pdx.edu).

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Published

2023-09-29

How to Cite

Alvarez, A. R. G. (2023). three nine twenty one (3/9/21). Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 29(2), 49–51. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1970