What do you do when you finally realize that the system that you thought was built to serve and protect you fails you? This is a question that we as women of color asking. In this episode, I am speaking with one of my good friends and powerhouse woman Professor Sudie Akinrotiba. Prof. Sudie is a clinical scientist by training and advocate for social equality for Africans globally. We explore sexism and why we believe the African system has failed African girls and women. Furthermore, we ignite a call of action appealing to members of the diaspora to raise awareness and mobilize action to prevent the reoccurrence of rape cases so that girls and women don’t experience the same fate as UNIBEN student Uwaila Omozuwa. About Prof. Sudie Professor Sudie Nallo joined the faculty of the College of Social Work in 2013 and was named Bachelor of Social Work Instructor of the Year in 2016. Since 2015, Nallo is also a faculty lead for the University of South Carolina Study Abroad Global Classroom program and has designed short-term international service and service-learning programs, with a focus on social service provision in global communities. She is also a faculty associate for the USC Walker Institute. The institute organizes programming to promote campus internationalization, community support for immigrants and refugees, and highlights overseas research and programs. Prior to joining USC, Nallo was vice president of event planning for the United Nations Association African Affairs Committee in New York and the manager of academic partnerships for Cross-Cultural Solutions in New Rochelle, NY.

Nallo has served as program coordinator for South Carolina-Advancing Diversity in Aging Research since 2015. Supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and established by Professor Sue Levkoff, the program aims to increase the number of qualified underrepresented racial and ethnic minority students who wish to pursue scientific graduate studies in science and aging programs. Nallo’s responsibilities include recruiting students, mentoring student researchers through undergraduate studies and preparing them for graduate school. In addition to meeting with students weekly to monitor research progress, she provides guidance on writing research papers and preparing oral and poster presentations.

Outside of USC, Nallo is a resource development associate for the South Carolina Uplift Community Outreach in Columbia. The organization helps individuals and families improve their quality of life by providing safe, secure and affordable housing and economic security. She assists in program development, implementation and exploratory research for social entrepreneurship development, including business plan development and cash flow analysis.

Nallo received her Master of Social Work with a concentration in social and economic development from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently studying for her Ph.D. in higher education administration from USC. Prof. Sudie IG handle: @icaf_africa