The Social Work Routes Podcast: Recent Episodes
Prof. Kris Clarke
Welcome to Social Work Routes - a podcast dedicated to exploring the pathways to social justice work. We listen to the stories of people involved in social work and activism – what brought them to the field? Where does their passion for social justice work lie? What experiences have shaped their perspectives? And what hopes and dreams do they have for the future? We have conversations with people around the globe to hear their stories of activism and change-making. My name is Kris Clarke and I am an associate professor of social work at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Join us on Spotify to listen to Social Work Routes -- stories of personal, political, and social transformation.
Tarja Pösö, Professor in Social Work at Tampere University, Finland, has a long experience of more than 30 years in studying social work, especially child welfare, from different perspectives, with a keen interest in cross-country perspectives and exploring methods and ethics for child welfare studies. Her work has been published in national and international journals and books. One issue that has troubled her through the years is how to talk about child welfare in Finland in English so that the English language would not change too abruptly the terms and rationales used by Finnish legislation, policy, and practice. This is not, self-evidently, only an issue for translation but for any communication across countries, systems, and practices.
Harry Lunabba is a University lecturer in social work and a youth researcher at the University of Helsinki. In his research he has mainly focused on studies on young masculinities. His latest article analyses how to recognise young masculinities vulnerabilities in youth work.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/11033088231179552
Minna Zechner is an Associate Professor in Social Work at the University of Helsinki. Her speciality area is health and social services. Her educational background is in social policy, both Master and Doctoral degrees are from the University of Tampere, Finland. For eight years she worked in a University of Applied Sciences in Seinäjoki, then moved on to the University of Lapland from where she moved to the University of Helsinki.
Her research has mainly been focusing on older adults. PhD focused on informal care, including transnational care, trust in services, care trajectories and care experiences of older adults in need of care. Since then, she has studied for example care services, policies, governance, marketisation and financialization of care, including comparisons. Lately she has been developing also care theories, including the 2022 published book on ailment (https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/display/book/9781447343486/9781447343486.xml). After joining the social work discipline she has been also focusing on gerontological social work and ageing in the margins, for example care when the resources are scant or substance abuse of older adults.
She is Associate Editor at the International Journal of Care and Caring, a member of the Editorial Board of SpringerBrief Advancing Social Work and Social Work Education series and a member of Vaiva-collective which consist of seven care researchers across Finland. She is also a national representative of the Board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work.
Her activities and publications are found here: https://minnazechner.com/ and https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/minna-maija-zechner
Tobias Pötzsch, Ph.D, works as a lecturer in Social Work at the University of Helsinki’s Swedish School of Social Science. My doctoral dissertation; Critical Perspectives on Social inclusion in Integration Education Programs for Adult Migrants (2020) explored inclusion strategies through the lenses of anti-oppressive practices, critical whiteness studies, and critical migration studies in Finland and Canada. In Finland, the focus was on the implementation of Swedish-language integration programs.
I was born in East Germany, grew up in Canada, and have since 1997 been living in Finland, where I integrated myself in Swedish I have obtained a doctoral degree (PhD.) in Social Sciences (Social Work) from the University of Helsinki and degrees in Social Work (M.Sc.) at Gothenburg University, in Sweden and Education (B.Ed.) from the University of Alberta, Canada. I also work as a researcher at CEREN, the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations and Nationalism. My areas of expertise include social work theory and ethics, multicultural/anti-oppressive/anti-racist social work, multicultural client counseling and qualitative research methods.
Internationally, I have worked in various EU Erasmus, EU Leonardo, and EU Tempus/Tacis projects that engaged students, teachers, and researchers from a variety of disciplines. The projects centered on topics of youth marginalization (Yari) as well as curriculum development initiatives with Donetsk State University in Ukraine. Furthermore, it has been my privilege to hold guest lectures, courses, and keynotes at several international universities (e.g. Georg-August University, Göttingen, the University of Gothenburg, University of Arizona, USA., VIA University College, Århus, Hogeschool Ghent & Bradford College, a. o.). As my own personal background and history are characterized by cultural and linguistic diversity and multi-nationality, international perspectives have always resonated deeply within me and distinctly shaped my vision of social work
Stanley Witkin is Emeritus Professor of Social Work at the University of Vermont, USA and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. USA. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and an honorary doctorate from the University of Lapland, Finland.
He is the co-founder (with Dennis Saleebey) and current president of the Global Partnership for Transformative Social Work (www.gptsw.net), an organization that uses social constructionist and related dialogues to explore ways of enriching relationships that support the generation of just and sustainable futures.
In addition to numerous journal publications and book chapters, his most recent books include:Finding Lenny: A Novel. (2022). Barringer Publishers. Transforming Social Work: Social Constructionist Perspectives on Contemporary and Enduring Issues, (2017) Palgrave MacMillan.
Narrating Social Work Through Autoethnography (2014) Columbia University Press.
Social Construction and Social Work Practice: Interpretations and Innovations (2011) Columbia University Press.
Presently, Stanley lives in Virginia, USA with his spouse, Frannie, and their precocious dog, Pekoe.
Harjeet Badwall is an Associate Professor at York University’s School of Social Work in Toronto, Canada. Her areas of research focus on disrupting racism, whiteness, and colonialism in Social Work. Harjeet teaches core theory and practice courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of the program. Her areas of focus include racialized and gender-based violence, practice and theory connections, and an interlocking analysis of oppression. Harjeet worked in the anti-violence sector as a counselor, community organizer, and activist for over twenty years. Presently, Harjeet provides psychotherapy services in the Greater Toronto Area, including counseling, clinical supervision, and case consultations. She also provides workshops and training on anti-racism and Narrative Therapy.
Susan was born and raised in Fresno, California, USA, to refugee parents of Hmong descent. She received her Bachelor of Social Work from California State University, Fresno, and her Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Organizational Leadership from National University. Susan is the founder and CEO of A Hopeful Encounter, Inc., a CBO (community-based organization) serving Southeast Asian youths and their families in Fresno and Southeast Asia. Susan currently serves on the:
Executive Board of Central Valley Regional Center as the Vice President,
Fresno County Board of Behavioral Health as a Board member,
Fresno County Commission of the Status of Women, and
Advisory Council for the Humanics Program at California State University, Fresno.
Education Chair for the Xiong of Fresno County and
a Board member of the Xiong United National Council.
Susan is passionate about cultivating and uplifting the next generation of leaders. In her personal and professional development journey, Susan is a Certified Trauma-Informed and Trauma Supportive Trainer and a certified Trauma Practitioner. Lastly, Susan continually supports youths in her role as a Wisdom Coach.
Marjaana Jauhola (she/they) is an ethnographer at the intersection of international politics, development, peace and conflict, and feminism. With life's historical and visual methods Marjaana focuses on global politics of post-conflict/disaster reconstruction and gendered and sexualized notions of piety, good life, and better futures. Currently at the University of Helsinki, but soon joining the Tampere Peace Research Institute at the University of Tampere.
Born in the capital of Finland Helsinki, she has lived half of her life in the smaller paper and pulp industry-driven towns of Kajaani and Jyväskylä, the post-mining industrial Welsh town Aberystwyth where she completed her Ph.D. in International Politics. After completing her first degree in sociology and before rejoining the academy for Ph.D. and research career, Marjaana worked for a decade in different development and humanitarian aid organizations. These experiences led her to conduct research on the global politics of gender in the aftermath of disasters and armed conflicts/political violence.
Visit her visual portfolio Scraps of Hope (https://scrapsofhope.fi/) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/scrapsofhopeurbanethnographies/) for more details. Her latest book with embedded videos can be read here: https://hup.fi/site/books/m/10.33134/pro-et-contra-1/
Jessica Schulz (she/they) is a passionate feminist scholar-activist from California’s Central Valley. With degrees from Fresno State and Iowa State Universities, Jessica aims to help institutions of higher education support student victims and survivors of interpersonal violence, and marginalized communities, through scholarship, action, and centering students.
Jessica’s research focuses on the ways that institutions of higher education can, do, and don't support students who are victims and survivors of sexual, dating, and domestic violence. This includes current practices of campus survivor advocacy and Title IX, and how we can move towards community and anti-carceral practices of supporting victims and survivors, especially learning from the work of Black women and other communities of color. Title IX was enacted to create equity among genders in access to education, a focus on athletics came later. Additionally, they analyze the language/statements institutions use when speaking about sex, dating, and domestic violence to understand the power dynamics underlying the discourse. Jessica is also interested in advancing critical consciousness in higher education, focusing on critical action, and how we can encourage individuals to move from reflection and understanding into action to advance equity on campuses.
Work/life negotiation is important to Jessica, and outside of academia she spends time with her son and cats and enjoys reading, hiking, and music.
Cristina Herrera earned her PhD in English from Claremont Graduate University and is a Professor and Director of Chicano/Latino Studies at Portland State University. Born and raised in Oxnard, California, she is a second-generation Chicana.
Her book, ChicaNerds in Chicana Young Adult Literature: Brown and Nerdy (2020) were published in Routledge’s Children’s Literature and Culture Series and was the first monograph published on YA literature by Chicana authors. Cristina’s co-authored book (with Trevor Boffone), Latinx Teens: U.S. Popular Culture on the Page, Stage, and Screen,was published in 2022 by the University of Arizona Press.
Cristina is also the author of the 2014 study, Contemporary Chicana Literature: (Re)Writing the Maternal Script and has co-edited multiple books on Latinx literature, including the first book-length volume on Chicanx children’s literature, Voices of Resistance: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Chican@ Children’s Literature (with Laura Alamillo and Larissa Mercado-López, Rowman and Littlefield, 2017).
Her co-edited volume (with Trevor Boffone), Nerds, Goths, Geeks, and Freaks: Outsiders in Chicanx and Latinx Young Adult Literature,was published in the spring of 2020 by the University Press of Mississippi. Cristina has published articles in Chicana/Latina Studies, Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, Children’s Literature, The Lion and the Unicorn, Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, and other journals.
She is currently working on a number of collaborative book projects on Latinx YA literature and youth cultures. In her free time, she enjoys reading, taking her dogs to the park and the beach, and exploring Portland’s delicious food scene.
Dayka Robinson is a Sovereignty Guide, nationally recognized Interior Designer, World Traveler & unapologetic Wild Woman helping women know themselves, trust themselves & honor themselves, so they can speak their truth, know their worth and trust their authority.
Whether helping women identify the gaps in their personal, relationship & professional lives, adventuring across the world solo, or hosting transformational retreats in Marrakech.
Dayka’s known for her tell it like it is delivery, which she uses to guide women to unapologetically get in alignment with what they were designed to be.
She’s been featured in Yahoo, Essence, HGTV, Redbook, Black Enterprise, HLN, Tiny House Nation, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and many more. When she’s not getting lost in the world, she lives in Atlanta, dropping truth bombs, always asking questions, ordering endless books & endlessly peppering her conversations with her favorite curse words.
Dr. Michael Barron is an Irish community activist who since the late 1990s has worked with minority and marginalized communities. He was centrally involved in the LGBTI+ rights movement in Ireland (including the marriage equality referendum campaigns) as founding director of BeLonG To, the campaign to remove the ‘Baptism Barrier’ from Irish schools. He carried out the official review of the Together For Yes referendum campaign for abortion rights in Ireland and is a Council of Europe expert in the areas of both sexual orientation/gender identity and national minorities. He has focused much of his work on building cross-community coalitions for social justice and currently works as a funder of equality movements. He has written extensively on social movements and the role of civil society in effecting legislative and policy change
Dr. Quenette Walton is an assistant professor at the University of Houston in the Graduate College of Social Work. The aims of her research program are to build knowledge and develop a theory that informs policies, practices, and culturally relevant and evidence-based interventions in order to reduce depression and increase wellness and well-being among middle-class Black women. She realizes that depression experiences and wellness and well-being do not occur in isolation. For that reason, Dr. Walton also focuses on social class as a social determinant of health and mental health disparities. Dr. Walton is also a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with over 15 years of clinical practice experience. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work. She holds a master's in social work degree from the University of Chicago, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan.
Luke has family connections to the Gunditjmara nation of Victoria (Australia) and is a Research Associate located within the Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) at Flinders University. Through his research, Luke seeks to understand the role Indigenous culture plays as a protective factor within the child protection system, whilst also exploring the nuances between child safety and cultural safety. Luke has gained extensive experience working as an Aboriginal Health Worker using a strengths-based approach across diverse sectors including Prison Health, Primary Health Care, Public Housing, and Mental Health Services.
Professor Claudia Bernard, Goldsmiths, University of London
Dr Claudia Bernard is Professor of Social Work and Co-Head of the Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research interests lie in the areas of social work with children and families, gender-based violence, critical race theory, equalities, and social justice. She has written widely on these topics, including a book entitled Constructing Lived Experiences: Representations of Black Mothers in Child Sexual Abuse Discourses (2nd Edition, Routledge, 2017), and an edited collection with Perlita Harris, entitled Safeguarding Black Children: Good Practice in Child Protection (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016). Her latest book Intersectionality for Social Workers: Theory and Practice is out in December 2021. She was featured in the 2020 Photography Exhibition Phenomenal Women: Portraits of UK Black Female Professors.
Yer Vang was born in Ban Vinai, Thailand, and raised in Fresno, California. She comes from a big family with a total of eight siblings: three sisters and five brothers.
She is the first in her family to pursue higher education and a first-generation student who completed her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science at San Jose State University (SJSU) in August 2020. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and a minor in gerontology from Fresno State.
After eight years of serving Fresno County Public Library (FCPL) residents as a Library Assistant and Senior Library Assistant, she is currently a librarian at Tulare County Library (TCL). Her passion for social work in libraries and literacy remains strong due to her parents’ limited English language and struggles in America.
Yer is actively serving as the Treasurer of REFORMA del Valle Central and a member of the Asian Pacific American Librarians (APALA) Scholarship Committee.
Robbie Gilligan is Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin. His path to professional social work began through voluntary youth work in inner city Dublin. His formative practice experience came from his first social work post in a largely rural community, followed by a post back in inner city Dublin. Since his transition to the academic world in 1981, his professional and scholarly interests have centred around marginalised young people with a special interest in young people growing up in state care. Across all service user groups, he believes that for social work to be effective and relevant it is vital that respects and taps into the capacity of the service user, their family and community resources, and the know-how of other professionals.
Alan J. Dettlaff is Dean of the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston and the inaugural Maconda Brown O’Connor Endowed Dean’s Chair. Prior to entering academia, Dean Dettlaff worked in the child welfare system as a caseworker and an administrator. He received his bachelor’s degree in social work from TCU, and master’s in social work and PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington. Dean Dettlaff’s work focuses on addressing and eliminating the impacts of structural and institutional racism on Black children and other children of color impacted by child welfare system intervention. He is co-founder of the upEND Movement, a collaborative movement that seeks to end the involuntary separation of children from their parents through abolition of foster care and the child welfare system.
For further information:
University of Houston, College of Social Work
https://www.uh.edu/socialwork/
Michael Yellow Bird, MSW, Ph.D., is Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. He is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) in North Dakota, USA. He has held faculty and administrative appointments at the University of British Columbia, University of Kansas, Arizona State University, Humboldt State University, and North Dakota State University. His research focuses on the effects of colonization and methods of decolonization, ancestral health, intermittent fasting, Indigenous mindfulness, neurodecolonization, mindful decolonization, and the cultural significance of Rez dogs. He is the founder, director, and principal investigator of The Centre for Mindful Decolonization and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba. He serves as a consultant, trainer, and senior advisor to several BIPOC mindfulness groups and organizations that are seeking to incorporate mindfulness practices, philosophies, and activities to Indigenize and decolonize western mindfulness approaches to address systemic racism and engage in structural change.
He is the author of numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, and the co-editor of four books: For Indigenous Eyes Only: The Decolonization Handbook, 2005; For Indigenous Minds Only: A Decolonization Handbook, 2012; Indigenous Social Work around the World: Towards Culturally Relevant Education and Practice, 2008; and Decolonizing Social Work, 2013. Choice Magazine, selected Decolonizing Social Work as a 2014 Choice Outstanding Academic Title. Choice Outstanding Titles are given extraordinary recognition by the academic community and are designated to be “the best of the best.” He is the co-author of two recent books: A Sahnish (Arikara) Ethnobotany (2020), and Decolonizing Holistic Pathways Towards Integrative Healing in Social Work (2021). His most recent co-authored mindfulness article, Defunding Mindfulness: While We Sit on Our Cushions, Systemic Racism Runs Rampant (October 2020), can be found at: https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/3715-perspectives-defunding-mindfulness-while-we-sit-on-our-cushions-systemic-racism-runs-rampant
Jim Campbell is Professor of Social Work in the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, University College Dublin. He was co-editor of the British Journal of Social Work from 2010-15. Jim has a number of teaching and research interests including mental health social work and the law, and social work and political conflict. He has co-edited a recent text in this second area of interest: Duffy, J., Campbell, J., & Tosone, C. (Eds.). (2019). International Perspectives on Social Work and Political Conflict. London: Routledge.
See his publications and interests here:
http://www.ucd.ie/research/people/socialpolicysocialworksocialjustice/professorjimcampbell/
Susan Chandler, MSW, PhD, is a community organizer and social work educator. She retired from 20 years of teaching in the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Social Work, but continues to teach her favorite course, Mass Incarceration, Race and Justice, at the university. She is the author, with Jill Jones, of the prize-winning book, Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places, and since 2014 has taught at a medium-security men’s prison.
See also:
Chandler, S. (2018). Social Work, Feminism, and Prison Abolition. Affilia, 33(1), 5–7.
Chandler, S., Aguirre, B., & Salazar, R. (2014). Un Grito: For Increased Latin@ Content and a Transformed Social Work Curriculum. Affilia, 29(1), 111–116.
Chandler, S. (2005). Addie Hunton and the Construction of an African American Female Peace Perspective. Affilia, 20(3), 270–283
Bob Pease is Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Social Change at the University of Tasmania and Honorary Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. His most recent books are Doing Critical Social Work (co-editor, Allen and Unwin) 2016, Men, Masculinities and Disaster (co-editor, Routledge, 2016), Radicals in Australian Social Work (co-editor, Connor Court, 2017), Critical Ethics of Care in Social Work (co-editor, Routledge 2018), Facing Patriarchy: From a Violent Gender Order to a Culture of Peace (Zed Books 2019) and Post-Anthropocentric Social Work: Critical Posthuman and New Materialist Perspectives (co-editor Routledge, 2021)
Melody Makeda Ledwon is an interpreter, translator, sex educator, and yoga teacher. In her work, she focuses on the intersectional perspectives of Black Feminism. In 2014 she founded BPoC Community Yoga Berlin - a safer space for Black people and people of Color who experience multiple forms of discrimination to learn about Yoga and deepen their practice. Born and raised in Berlin Germany, she also calls New York City home.
Melody holds a B.A. in Africana Studies and Sociology from Hunter College, CUNY, and an A.M. in Education from Washington University in St. Louis.
Ayaka Nakaji, MSW, LCSW
Oncology Social Work Care Coordinator
Born and raised in Japan, Ayaka moved to Hawai'i to pursue MSW at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in 2009. Since graduating in 2011, Ayaka has worked in diverse practice settings in Hawai'i and Los Angeles, including domestic violence survivor outreach, intervention and advocacy in the family court, HIV/AIDS prevention education and linkage to care, and intensive case management for LGBTQ identified individuals living with chronic physical and mental illnesses. Ayaka currently works as the Oncology Care Coordinator as part of the interdisciplinary team at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Ayaka has been a co-chair of the API Social Work Council of Southern California, NASW (National Association of Social Workers) since 2020 and is an active member of the Anti-Racism Committee in the city of South Pasadena where she lives.
Ahmad Bahrami has worked in county behavioral health systems for over twelve years and is the Division Manager of Public Behavioral Health and the Equity Services Manager for Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health. Ahmad has been involved at the state and regional level with developing programs for cultural humility and reducing disparities, student mental health, truancy prevention, and suicide prevention.
In 2019, Ahmad was selected as Steinberg Institute Champion For Mental Health for his efforts to improve accessibility for diverse groups.
Prior to his work in county behavioral health Ahmad had worked with various community-based providers in Fresno as both a direct service provider and in leadership roles. His experience outside of county behavioral health has included criminal justice settings, community public health, substance use, housing, and workforce development.
Ahmad’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Criminology, a Master’s in Business Administration, and completion of doctoral work in Organizational Development.
Dawn-Marie is Afrolatinx, indigenous to the Americas; living in Long Beach, CA. She is an associate therapist working towards licensure.
Dawn-Marie is passionate about maternal mental health and disrupting the cradle to prison pipeline. When she is not therapizing you can find her strength training her body, and visiting the ocean.
Wambui Njuguna-Räisänen is a Kenyan-American based in Finland, passionate about making wellness through yoga and meditation seamlessly engaged in equity and justice so that more people of the global majority can live well and thrive.
Wambui is deeply inspired by spiritual teachers and communities that seek ways to apply the insights from our various practices and teachings to situations of social, racial, political, environmental and economic suffering and injustice.
She would like to see wellness spaces engage more in social justice + collective change and activist spaces learn to breathe deeply and practice sustainable self-care in the midst of dismantling systemic oppression. This is her definition of community care. To learn more about Wambui and her offerings, visit wambuinjuguna.com and @wellnesswithwambui (IG).
Dr. Felipe Mercado has promoted equity, diversity, inclusion, and compassion in the fields of K-12 education, non-profit organizations, mental health, and higher education for over a decade. He currently is the founder of Wise Soul LLC and coordinator in the office of clinical practice at Fresno State. He has held roles as a principal, counselor, social work practitioner, and consultant. One of his passions is to help others find and utilize their strengths to achieve self-compassion, purpose, and authentic happiness!! Felipe earned his MSW in 2012 and an Ed.D in 2017 from California State University, Fresno. Dr. Mercado is from Sanger, California, and enjoys hiking, camping, and gardening with his children and wife.
Felipe’s favorite book
”I have two all-time favorite books (I could not pick one). The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and Freedom from the Known by Jiddu Krishnamurti. Both of these books have offered me a roadmap to enlightenment and personal liberation. The Four Agreements offers me a framework that I use in my daily life to ensure that I am living with honor and integrity. I have the “Four Agreements” on my office wall as a constant reminder every day. Freedom from the Known has helped me examine my own conditioning and has provided me with the inspiration to be free, loving, and comfortable with who I am. Freedom from the Known has also forced me to reevaluate all that I thought I knew about life and has helped me create a pathway to rediscover my true essence. The wisdom and simplicity of Ruiz and Krishnamurti’s words resonate whole-heartedly with my mind, body, and soul. Krishnamurti and Ruiz are my influencers and exude the values and wisdom that I hope to die with.”
- Personal website for "Wise Souls" here: wise-souls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mercado.ws/
Rosaline M'Bayo, Dipl. Soz. Päd., MA, project coordinator in the field of Migration and Health Education, Psychosocial Counselling especially on HIV/AIDS and STD at the VIA-Verband für Interkulturelle Arbeit Regionalverband Berlin/Brandenburg. Her work focuses on culturally sensitive social work with people with African backgrounds. Her research interests focus on participation/inclusion and health-related social work.
Our guest for this week, Tina Rodriguez is a survivor of child abuse and a licensed marriage and family therapist but I choose to identify as an Equity Therapist. I am responsible for connecting the symptoms of racial trauma to mental health conditions. I specialize in working with victims of color.
I currently serve as Board President for ValorUS, a national organization working to end sexual violence. This victims rights week I announced that I am the CSSJ Statewide Manager. Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice is an organization with the largest membership of survivors.
I am married to Jose Rodriguez and we are raising our daughters in the heart of the central valley. I enjoy losing my thoughts to the sweet sound of mariachi music.
Randy Nedegaard, PhD, is an associate professor at California State University, Fresno, Department of Social Work Education. He has authored publications on military cultural competence and overcoming stigma with military clients, intimate partner violence and its intersections with faith traditions, teaching in diverse tribal communities, and decision-making in intimate partner violence. Dr. Nedegaard has practiced in outpatient mental health clinics, correctional settings, private practice, deployed settings, and as a behavioral health consultant to a major command surgeon general within the department of defense. He teaches courses in group work, practices with individuals, practices with couples and families, and interprofessional healthcare.
Rev. Bryson White is the last of six children to the union of Paul and Sheila White of Fresno, California, and is the husband to the wonderful Jennifer White of Richmond, California, and the father of Kairos White. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Theology and Ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is currently writing his dissertation. Rev. White’s dissertation, titled Racial Rapture: Mass Incarceration as Distorted Realized Eschatology, explores the theological underpinnings of the mass incarceration of Black people in the United States.
Bryson is a twice-selected Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) dissertation fellow and has published work in Black Theology: An International Journal and has presented his research at the annual American Academy of Religion conference. White holds master’s degrees in Theology and Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from California State University at Northridge.
Additionally, Rev. White is a kidney transplant recipient, receiving his transplant on February 13th, 2002 at UC Davis hospital in Sacramento, California, and now serves as a board member of California Donor Transplant Network West (CTDN), an organ procurement organization that serves Central and Northern California.
Currently, Rev. White is the Regional Faith Leadership Coordinator for Faith In the Valley (FIV). Faith In the Valley is a faith-based non-profit which organizes congregations for reimagining our public life together through building power to ameliorate structural inequalities such as; mass incarceration, housing inequality, urban gun violence, and the need for immigration reform.
Grisanti Avendaño is an organizer, movement builder a weaver, a Xingonx, and a space holder in the Central Valley of California. She is the daughter of Belen Avendaño and is a Queer Indigenous Zapotec migrant from Oaxaca who loves her adopted home Fresno. She writes poetry from personal experiences focused on her childhood and the Oaxaqueño culture. She is the prayer keeper of the Central Valley Healing Collective and the Healing Justice Manager at Youth Organize California. When not working, you can find her having family time and hanging around Fresno with her furbaby Flicka, attending poetry nights, and building the Central Valley Healing Collective in Fresno.
Dr. Gena Lew Gong is a Lecturer in Asian American Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Fresno State. She has extensive experience working and volunteering in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and has held numerous leadership positions, including Board President of Central California Asian Pacific Women, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Community Fund, and Director of Public Policy & Communications for Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP). She is also an alumna of the Asian Pacific American Women’s Leadership Institute (APAWLI) and the Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Seminar of the East-West Center at the University of Hawai’i.
In 2018, she was recognized as one of the Top Ten Professional Women by the Marjaree Mason Center in Fresno. Gena has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from CSU Fresno, an M.A. in Public Policy from Duke University, and a B.A. in Psychology from UC San Diego. She enjoys practicing hula with her Hālau Hula I Ka La ‘ohana, trying out new and interesting recipes, and is looking forward to traveling again soon with her husband and family.
Diana Crāciun’s social work route started in a little city in Transylvanian Romania – struggling with classism and other exclusion mechanisms of the post-communism era when growing up, never assuming that she would eventually live and work in Berlin. She chose to stay in Germany after finishing her M.A. degree in Gender and Diversity, and started working in the private sector for Diversity-Management and then intentionally shifted to Managing Diversity in several NGOs.
Diana’s continuous reflection on her socialization, privileges but also discrimination in different contexts, drove her to constantly question her personal and professional path. This is how she came from a unilateral definition of (white) feminism to authentically engage in processes of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion always insisting on the intersectional approach. Broaching the issue of asymmetrical power relations in everything she does motivates and captivates her: this perspective has no end. That’s why she committed herself to always work in favor of making these asymmetries transparent, in striving for justice and equity.
Diana sees herself in a lifelong learning process while constantly dedicating her service and contributions to positions like a Diversity and Public Relations Officer in a family planning center or a Project Manager in Germany-wide participatory health research together with migrant and refugee (ex-)users. She is currently Head of Diversity and Quality Management in one of the research projects of a prestigious Berliner University, so acknowledging expertise, access to (higher positions in) education, decolonizing knowledge and university keeps her very busy..."
Julian G. Garza
Julian is from Fresno, California to a first-generation Mexican American father, George Garza, and a mother of both Native American (Pascua Yaqui Tribal member) & Mexican American descent, Rachael Moreno Garza. He served in the US Air Force for five years. Julian started working in the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, earning his BSW from ASU. He relocated back to Fresno, working for Owens Valley Career Development Center. Julian received his MSW at Fresno State in 2015 and developed the Native Family Education Gathering. He returned to Tempe, Arizona working with Phoenix Indian Center, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, and Gila River Indian Community Tribal Social Services. He is currently employed as a medical social worker with Hospice of the Valley, serving patients and their families in Mesa, Scottsdale, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, and Fountain Hills. His favorite titles are a father to Isabella Moon Garza, and spouse to Rainey Lee Garza.
Malcolm Payne is a writer, academic, and consultant on social work, social care management, and multi-professional teamwork. He was previously Director of Psychosocial and Spiritual Care at St Christopher's Hospice, London. He has held academic posts at the University of Bristol, Manchester Metropolitan University, Opole University Poland, and Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. He has honorary appointments at the Department of Social Policy, Helsinki University, and the School of Social Care Sciences, Kingston University.
Dr. Irán Barrera is a Professor and Graduate Coordinator at Fresno State in the Department of Social Work Education. He has two doctoral degrees from The University of Texas at Arlington and the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León-México.
This experience raised awareness about mental health care disparities among Latinos. Dr. Barrera has extensive experience working with minority communities (African-American/Latino/Asian) in California and Texas. He was the President of the Latino Faculty/Staff Association at Fresno State.
Gloria’s retirement speech
I began working as a patient rights advocate after doing civil rights class actions and other lawsuits. (I thought when I was working with farmworker and their families that I was working with the most vulnerable people in this country. That changed when I began this job.)
I thought I would share the following with you all:
Common sense contributed to my safety in the units.
Obtaining knowledge of community resources and networking with facility staff helped me help clients
Reading and staying updated on policies and laws constantly added to my book of advocacy.
But having Humility and Empathy is what has always guided my advocacy.
And the everyday challenges to change old rules/policies gave me the strength to continue all these years.
Sitting at the table across from the Police chief and challenging his policies helped him understand the need for training for the cops.
Learning cross-cultural training allowed me to see the beauty of each person. A simple bow at the waist can bring many smiles. A simple hello shows humanity you care.
I credit the ability to look outside the box as the gift I treasure the most because sometimes that old box is what is keeping us doing the same over and over.
So to all of you whom I have had interaction with it, over the many years, I want to thank you for sharing the knowledge and I send you a big abrazo. I know that we walked the same path of seeking justice for our clients.
Stay strong, don’t give up, people count on you. Share the love for humanity everywhere you go.
Cassandra Little Ph.D. MSW
She received her Doctorate in 2003 from the University of Nevada Reno, Counseling Educational Psychology Department in Reno, Nevada. For 27 years she worked in the Child Welfare field as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Cassandra received her M.A., in Social Work from the University of Nevada Reno and her B.S. in Sociology-Criminal Justice from California Baptist College in Riverside California. She has taught college courses on the topics of Mass Incarceration; the Intersectionality of Race, Gender and Mass Incarceration, Social Work, Ethnic and Gender Issues in the Criminal Justice System, and Cultural Competency. Her current research interests center around the intersectionality of race, gender, and mass incarceration. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at California State University Fresno in the Criminology Department and Fresno Pacific University in the Social Work Department.
Dr. Virginia Rondero Hernandez is a Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fresno. She was also the executive director of CalSwec at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to coming to Fresno State, Dr. Rondero Hernandez taught at Texas State University, San Marcos, and the Worden School of Social Service at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. She has practiced as a licensed social worker in clinics, hospitals, hospice, schools, and non-profit settings. Her research interests include substance use disorders, adult and juvenile justice, child health disparities, Latino mental health, shame resilience, and integrated health care services. She is currently working as a coach, consultant, and clinician specializing in supporting the leadership development of emerging and established leaders. She has expertise in developing strategies to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Dr. Kizzy Lopez has worked in higher education for 13 years in academic and student affairs as a champion for educational equity for underserved students, particularly those who have experienced foster care or homelessness. Dr. Lopez currently serves as an Assistant Professor in Social Work at Fresno Pacific University. Dr. Lopez is passionate about advocating for foster and homeless youth because of her personal experience. She is a former foster youth and was
homeless while attending a community college. She knows first-hand the barriers these youth experience and has committed her career to improve systems for disadvantaged youth.
As a practitioner, Dr. Lopez led the effort to create a campus-based program for foster and homeless youth at Fresno State known as the Renaissance Scholars Program (RSP). This program was designed to increase college access and graduation rates for foster and homeless youth attending the university. Dr. Lopez was the founding coordinator and served in this role for 10 years. During that time, she served over 200 students, developed innovative services and practices that increased student retention and graduation rates. She also represented the CSU system in advocating for statewide policy change for foster youth and homeless youth
Anthony Ash, MSW, ACSW, is a lifelong Central California resident, organizer, and social worker. He got his start in social work through community organizing in the wake of California's Proposition 8, which would strip same-sex couples of the right to marry.
Anthony completed his undergraduate degree in Social Welfare at Fresno Pacific University. This private Christian university had historically worked against LGBTQ equality. However, through engaging in meaningful conversation with the school administration, he continued to work on LGBTQ inclusion in the school's curriculum and continues to present LGBTQ cultural competency to undergraduate students. He completed his graduate program at the University of Denver with a concentration in mental health and trauma.
Currently, he is working on his doctorate of social work at Capella University and works as a Service Coordinator/Counselor at the Central Valley Regional Center, where he works with adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. He plans to teach with his doctorate in social work.
Sharon Chun Wetterau, LCSW is the Assistant Field Director at California State University, Dominguez Hills Department of Social Work, founded on Critical Race Theory (CRT). She is fascinated by the practical integration of CRT, mindfulness, and spirituality, including her own faith (Christianity), as a source of healing and a pathway toward social justice.
The first interview on the Social Work Routes podcast features Zoyer Zyndel, MSW, of Fresno, California. Zoyer was a mental health specialist and trans community activist involved in a multitude of social issues. Listen to him talk about how his route to social work and activism.
A tribute to Zoyer Zyndel, MSW, trans activist, and community organizer in Fresno, California, who tragically passed away a week after a forthcoming interview with Kris Clarke.
Rest in Power Zoyer Zyndel.
Producer: Priscilla Osei
Welcome to Social Work Routes - a podcast dedicated to exploring the pathways to social justice work. We listen to the stories of people involved in social work and activism – what brought them to the field? Where does their passion for social justice work lie? What experiences have shaped their perspectives? And what hopes and dreams do they have for the future? We have conversations with people around the globe to hear their stories of activism and change-making.
My name is Kris Clarke and I am an associate professor of social work at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
Join us on Spotify to listen to Social Work Routes -- stories of personal, political, and social transformation.
Producer: Priscilla Osei