Episode 36

Nathan Stephens, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Illinois State University and PhD candidate at the University of Missouri, shares his powerful journey from incarceration to academia and community leadership. He speaks candidly about childhood trauma, spirituality, and the transformative role of education in his life, highlighting how his experiences shape his teaching, research, and work with Black men and boys. Nathan discusses issues such as racialized stress, the hypersexualization and sexual abuse of Black boys and men, and the systemic barriers created by hypersurveillance and criminal records. This conversation centers lived experience as expertise and calls for justice-rooted approaches in both social work and society.

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Facebook Mister Nathan Stephens

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Episode 35

Alicia Martinez, David "Tiny" Estrada, and Dr. Shipra Parikh from Enlace Chicago share their work supporting youth and families in the Little Village neighborhood through violence prevention, counseling, restorative justice, and community advocacy. They highlight the strength and resilience of this primarily Latine community, while naming the structural barriers—including poverty, gentrification, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on essential workers—that affect daily life. The conversation explores how Enlace adapted to meet urgent needs, from food distribution to virtual outreach, and how the organization models the values of justice and care it promotes. This episode uplifts community-based work rooted in love, solidarity, and the collective creation of a more just world.

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Episode 34

Dawn Brown, social work educator and Legislative Chair of NASW-Florida, shares how social workers can engage in meaningful legislative advocacy — from attending committee hearings to building relationships with elected officials. She discusses NASW-FL's annual Legislative Education Advocacy Day (LEAD), the importance of voting at every level of government, and what accountability looks like beyond the ballot box. Drawing on her experience as a Black woman and social justice advocate, Dawn offers a clear call for social workers to use their skills and voice in the political arena.

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Episode 33

In collaboration with SWCAREs – Social Work Coalition for Anti-Racist Educators – this episode features Charla Yearwood as guest host, facilitating a powerful conversation with Black social workers André, Dashawna, Deana, and Vivian about their experiences in social work education. Speaking with honesty and vulnerability, they share how social work programs often inflict harm on Black students through racism, exclusion, and systemic violence. This episode offers an unfiltered space for truth-telling, reflection, and a call for urgent change in the profession. It is both a gift and a challenge to all of us working toward transformation.

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SWCAREs

André

Dashawna

Vivian

Black Men in Social Work

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Episode 32

K Agbebiyi, a prison abolitionist based in Washington Heights, New York, breaks down what prison abolition actually means — both as a vision for a transformed world and as immediate, practical work to close prisons now. They connect mass incarceration and policing to the history of chattel slavery and anti-Blackness, and offer concrete ways to get involved at the local level. K also shares their own story as a survivor who organizes alongside other survivors, and speaks to questions of accountability, safety, and the connections between abolition, child welfare, and social work.

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www.8toAbolition.com

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Episode 31

Lutze Segu, the Social Justice Doula from Miami, Florida, shares her work creating conditions for social justice learning and transformation in individuals and organizations. Rooted in Black Feminist theory, she discusses how systems of oppression — not individual failings — shape people's conditions, and challenges social workers to examine how they may be pathologizing oppression rather than naming it. Lutze speaks with deep hope about people's capacity to change and offers a powerful call to divest from anti-Blackness in both practice and life.

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Episode 30

Mark Houston, LCSW and Pauline Green, Esq., of The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth in Miami, share their organization's comprehensive work supporting LGBTQ youth in Miami-Dade County through clinical services, care coordination, community education, and policy advocacy. They discuss the intersecting challenges facing LGBTQ youth — including homelessness, safety, homophobia, transphobia, and racism — and how The Alliance builds affirming, youth-led community rooted in resilience. The conversation also addresses the harm caused by practitioners who fail to challenge heterosexism and cisgenderism in their work.

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Episode 29

Tre King, Mental Health Coordinator in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, shares what it means to do this work in the same community where he grew up — serving students he sees himself in. He discusses the realities of school-based mental health practice, the gap between how marginalized communities are discussed in social work classrooms and the lived experience of practitioners from those communities, and the importance of community-rooted, culturally grounded care.

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X @Tre_King_MDCPS

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Episode 28

Alejandra Martinez, Workshop Coordinator of the Border Rights Project at Al Otro Lado, describes the harsh realities facing migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border — including illegal waitlists, family separation, and the "Remain in Mexico" policy. She explains how her team provides legal orientation, "Know Your Rights" sessions, and connections to shelter and medical care in Tijuana, offering a trauma-informed, supportive space for people who have endured long and dangerous journeys. This episode is a sobering and essential look at the human cost of U.S. immigration policy and the frontline work of those fighting for dignity and justice.

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Episode 27

Charla Cannon Yearwood, a clinical assistant professor at Indiana University, and Laura Hoge, a psychotherapist and community organizer, discuss the mission of SWCAREs – Social Work Coalition for Anti-Racist Educators – to dismantle white supremacy in social work education. They break down how white supremacy shows up in the profession, from erasing leaders of color in social work history to upholding ethics and practices that often harm marginalized communities. Charla and Laura offer historical context, real-world examples, and a clear call for transformation. This episode marks the beginning of deeper, necessary conversations on race, power, and justice in social work.

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Charla Yearwood

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