Growing up right outside of one of the largest military bases in America meant I was exposed to diversity before I ever had a concept for what that meant. I went to school with children from all over America who had seen many parts of the world. As such, I deeply value diversity and inclusion. There are such rich perspectives, stories, and solutions that we can all discover through inclusive diversity. As a social worker I hope to be able to make this world more equitable as well. One of the first NASW core values I come back to is the inherent dignity and worth of a person. No matter how a person identifies or what they have done, it is imperative that I first recognize their existence as inherently worthy of respect.

Here are some examples of work that speaks to my multicultural competency and responsiveness.

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I was invited by Brittany Privott, a regional representative with the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) to sit on a panel entitled “Serving African American and Black American Students through Admissions, Recruitment, and Success.” This panel sought to provide ways that North Carolina community colleges could better recruit and serve Black students. I was invited to serve on this panel because of my work as a College Adviser at West Charlotte High School and my success at partnering with Central Piedmont Community College to help my students continue their education.

The panel took place January 26, 2021 and had nearly 200 people register to attend.

A recording of the panel can be viewed at the top of the page.

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In light of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, multiple students expressed interest in having a space to process the tragedy and our roles as Social Workers in relation to these all too common occurrences. I pitched the idea of a community forum in a small meeting and my classmates and professor were supportive.

With the collaboration and support of my colleague, Destiney Springs-Walker, and multiple faculty in my program, we hosted two community forums in May 2020. The first forum was crafted with the intention of creating a safe space for grieving and community support for Black students and faculty. We created an agenda and guiding questions. The second forum was a program wide forum crafted with the intention of processing and understanding our individual and collective roles as Social Workers. We worked together to create an agenda with supplemental reading and tools for participants of the forum. One of these tools shared by Professor Maruka Rivers was the silk ring theory.

From these two forums came fruitful follow up conversations and reflections on personal growth. I was encouraged that both colleagues and professors reached out to me to continue processing.

Additional note: There was a personal sense of urgency to proceed with the forums despite the personal distress as a Black woman witnessing another public Black lynching. I was advised to take time and reconsider having the program wide forum so soon with emotions being so fresh. However my biggest impetus was knowing American history and especially American summers. About a week later George Floyd was killed.

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I was invited by Dr. Michelle Vance to collaborate in the submission of this proposal and subsequent presentation along with my colleague, Destiney Springs-Walker. It was made available as an On Demand session at the Council for Social Work Education 2020 Annual Program Meeting.

Below is our overview as written by Dr. Michelle Vance, followed by our PowerPoint Presentation that I had the privilege of designing:

Justice-involved African American women face many challenges upon returning to their communities due to the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. Field placements in jail settings provide unique opportunities for social work students to critically assess and address social injustices. This presentation elevates diversity, equity and inclusion through culturally responsive practice.

Click the photo to view our presentation.