AJPH: Profs. Sprague Martinez, Scott, & Colleagues Report on Success of Community-Based COVID Workshop
Community-based workshops allow groups to process collective traumas like the COVID-19 pandemic together. In a recent article for the American Journal of Public Health, BU School of Social Work Profs. Linda Sprague Martinez and Judith Scott and their colleagues shared data from a recent applied photovoice workshop. The project worked with staff and leadership from twelve HRSA funded sites and was designed to engage and retain Black women in care. Workshop participants submitted and reacted to photos representing how they were impacted by the pandemic. The discussion revealed the layered complexities communities deal with during crisis recovery.
Excerpt from, “How Is COVID-19 Impacting You? A Community-Based Photovoice Workshop,” by Profs. Linda Sprague Martinez, Judith Scott, et al:
The image depicting a lone seal in the middle of a harbor was submitted by a participant at the workshop. It invoked a vibrant discussion that began with isolation. However, as the group peeled back the layers, a contradiction emerged.
‘It’s a contradiction for me because it’s calming and I love the water, but I feel isolate…particularly during COVID we’re so busy and it’s such a traumatizing time and it’s “I’m fighting this thing alone.”’
Indeed, the pandemic has been isolating while also involving a constant sense of urgency. Fighting the HIV epidemic for Black women in a pandemic during a societal “racial reckoning” can tax the mind, body, and soul. As participants gazed deeply at the image, there was a brief silence before a participant chimed in.
‘I think part of me wonders how long the seal can stay afloat…like, at what point will the seal need help, because trying to keep your head above water can be exhausting and you don’t have time to get energy back…or to breathe.’”