2024 Reparations Symposium

Dr. David Androff, MSW

David Androff, Ph.D., M.S.W. is Professor and Associate Director for Doctoral Education in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. Dr. Androff earned his Masters and Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Androff is an internationally recognized scholar in the areas of human rights, social development, and global social work. Most recently this recognition includes being selected as a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research in 2023 and receiving the Partners in Advancing International Social Work Education Award by the Global Commission of the Council of Social Work Education in 2022.

He is the editor of the Routledge International Handbook on Social Development, Social Work, and the Sustainable Development Goals (2024), the author of Refugee Solutions in the Age of Global Crisis: Human Rights, Integration, and Sustainable Development (Oxford University Press, 2022) and Practicing Rights: Human Rights-based Approaches to Social Work (Routledge, 2016).

Dr. Androff co-chaired the 21st International Consortium for Social Development conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2019 where he was Visiting Professor in the Department of Development and Social Welfare at the University of Gadjah Mada. He is a Research Associate with the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg and was a founding member of the Council of Social Work Education’s Committee on Human Rights.

Councilman Jecory Aurthur

Jecorey Arthur is a teacher, musician, and activist from Louisville, KY.

As a teacher, Arthur has served students of all ages around the world in schools, libraries, community centers, detention centers, and beyond, including a tour to Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, a cultural exchange with De Montfort University in England, and an artist-in-residency at New York City’s 92nd Street.

As a musician, Arthur has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Big Ears Festival, Forecastle Festival, and Switzerland’s Jungfrau Erzählfestival; performed as a soloist with the Stereo Hideout Brooklyn Orchestra and the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, Indianapolis, Nashville, Columbus, Dayton, Florida, and Oregon Symphony Orchestras; performed as the first hip hop artist with the Louisville Orchestra including world premieres of folk opera The Way Forth and rap opera The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, where he starred as his hometown hero. Arthur has also composed original music for theatre, film, television, radio, podcast, and studio albums.

As an activist, Arthur has organized artists to address social issues, produced events to create local jobs, and worked with the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) Foundation—writing public policy, organizing political campaigns, and training organizers across America. In 2019, he became a BMe Genius Fellow, using his award to help open the Parkland Plaza, an outdoor green space, community venue, and natural playground in his childhood neighborhood. In 2020, Arthur’s community organizing inspired him to run for city council, where he won and made history as the city’s youngest councilmember. Since joining Louisville Metro Council, Arthur has sponsored and passed over 130 pieces of legislation to address homelessness, poverty, discrimination, violence, and more.

In addition to being on city council, Arthur is currently a music and sociology professor at the Historically Black College and University—Simmons College of Kentucky, an artist roster member of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), a percussion instructor at the Louisville Academy of Music, and an endorsed artist with Salyers Percussion. You can follow Arthur online at @jecoreyarthur.

Danille Beasley, LCSW

Danielle Beasley, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is currently in her first year as a Doctor of Social Work student at Spalding University. Passionate about effecting meaningful change on individual, community, and systemic levels, Danielle holds the position of Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Outreach at Illinois State University Student Counseling Services.

In her role, Danielle helps advance the work of equity within the Student Counseling Center. Her commitment is evident in her work to ensure that Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Antiracism are interwoven into the fabric of the center’s operations, policies, and practices. Guided by a liberation framework, Danielle integrates relational, multicultural, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches, emphasizing equity as a foundational principle in her stewardship.

Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard

In November 2016, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard became the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. She proudly holds her position in the Red Chamber representing the province of Nova Scotia and her hometown of East Preston while championing issues impacting African Canadians nationally in her work. She is the liaison of the Progressive Senate Group.

Throughout her social work career, Senator Bernard has maintained a deep dedication to social justice and racial justice. Based on this work and perseverance she was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005, and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2014. After practicing frontline social work in Nova Scotia and founding the Association of Black Social Workers in 1979, Senator Bernard became a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work in 1990 where she subsequently held the position of Director for 10 years. During her time at Dalhousie, Senator Bernard developed a curriculum for the ‘Africentric Social Work’ course. In 2016, she was appointed Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Dalhousie University and is the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenure track position. In 2017, Senator Bernard was the first African Canadian to be appointed Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work (SSW) at Dalhousie University; the first woman within the SSW to achieve this appointment. In recognition of her work to advance diversity and inclusion through leadership, activism, research and community efforts, Senator Bernard was awarded the Frank McKenna Award for Leadership in Public Policy in 2021.

Senator Bernard has continued to enact social justice and fight for racial justice in the Senate. Senator Bernard is the Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and she is a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Senator Bernard is proud to be a member of the African Canadian Senate Group.

Dr. Quiana M. Shamsid-Deen, LMSW

A passionate social entrepreneur, restauranteur, and a newly minted author, Dr. Quiana M. Shamsid-Deen wears many hats, balancing them with grace and a vision rooted in community upliftment and empowerment.

Together with her husband, Ambassador Waleed Shamsid-Deen, she co-founded Supreme Foods Worldwide. This visionary endeavor encapsulates several franchise restaurants including Supreme Burger and Supreme Fish Delight, with presences scattered across multiple strategic locations in Metro Atlanta and Charleston, South Carolina, drawing people in with its commitment to quality and taste.

Steering the ship at Supreme Family Foundation as the Executive Director, Dr. Shamsid-Deen is a force against food insecurity, championing economic opportunities and cultural exposure for communities. The foundation shines with initiatives like the Halal Meals on Wheels and the Halal School Free & Reduced lunch program, touching lives by serving up to 15,000 meals weekly to K-12 youth and senior citizens in the Metro Atlanta region.

With a rich academic background, she holds a Doctor of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Her noteworthy capstone project tackled strategies to narrow the racial wealth gap, advocating investment into Black-owned businesses as a redefined approach to reparations. Included in her academic journey is a Master of Social Work from Fordham University.

As an adjunct professor at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Social Work, she molds young minds, imparting knowledge and fostering future leaders. Her voice resonates in the academic sphere, echoed in her recently published thought-provoking articles in the Muslim Journal and other reputable publications.

The CEO of NyaPearl Solutions, Dr. Shamsid-Deen leverages both her personal experience and executive experience through writing services for herself and organizations.

Adding a beautiful feather to her cap, she is on the cusp of launching her inaugural children’s book, a touching tribute to her late daughter Nya Iman Shamsid-Deen, encapsulating heartfelt narratives infused with love and memory, slated to grace bookshelves later this year.

Rooted in her Jamaican heritage, with beginnings in Queens, NY, and Danbury, CT, she presently calls Decatur, GA her home, where she shares her love and life with her husband, their harmonious blend of five children, remembering and cherishing the precious memory of her angel, Nya, who soared to the heavens in 2017.

Dr. Dave Este

Dave Este is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. He obtained a MA degree specializing in African Canadian and African American History from the University of Waterloo and subsequently completed his MSW and PhD at the University of Toronto and Wilfrid Laurier University respectfully. During his career Dave has contributed publications to the discipline of African (Black) Canadian history, Canadian social welfare history along with pieces focused on contemporary issues confronting the African diaspora in Canada. He also co-produced the documentary “We are the Roots: Black Settlers and their Experiences of Discrimination on the Canadian Prairies” which received the 2018 Governor General Award – “History – Community Programming”. In the same year he received the Lee Lorsch Award from CAUT for professor of the year. In 2022 he received the Grant McEwan Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Calgary, Earlier this year he was recognized by the Alberta and Nova Scotia Chapters of the Association of Black Social Works along with the Canadian Association of Social Workers for his contributions to social work.

He has worked with the following organizations/groups such as “The Association of Black Social Workers (Nova Scotia), the Ontario Black History Society and, the Race Relations Foundation of Canada, David has published six book and is author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. He is currently serving as a consultant for the Auditor General Office in Ottawa.

Dr. V. Nikki Jones, LCSW, LMFT

V. Nikki Jones (she/they) is an Associate Professor and DSW Program Director at the School of Social Work at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She holds a Doctor of Social Work degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Additionally, she earned a Master of Science in Social Work with a specialization in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Louisville. She also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Africana Studies from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Dr. Jones has contributed to the field of social work through her research and scholarship. She has authored several refereed publications, focusing on topics such as social and racial justice, LGBTQIA+, and reparations. Dr. Jones is also an active presenter at national and regional conferences, where she shares her expertise and engages in discussions on important social issues.

Dr. Cathy McElderry, LCSW

Cathy McElderry, Ph.D., MPH, LCSW, is professor and chair in the Department of Social Work at Middle Tennessee State University. She is a license certified social worker with more than 25 years of teaching and practice experience. Her research has focused on health disparities and social determinants of health and well-being. Dr. McElderry scholarly activities extend to investigating the role of disparities in initiating, shaping and contributing to problematic outcomes such as substance abuse, poverty, access to health care and other social issues.

Babajay Dr. Onaje Jua-Osondu Adbul Muid

Babajay Dr. Onaje Muid is a life time member of N’COBRA. As the co-founder of the N’COBRA Health Commission, he is their first male co-chair, serving with co-founder and current female chair, Lisa Davis. Serving the interests of African people, Babajay has a long history of creating transformative, liberatory human services theory and practice in the field of behavior health. In the quest to re-establish Maat (order, balance and harmony) in the black community, he became doulo in 2021 (the masculine of doula), following his work as credible clinician in the gun violence prevention movement (2015), substantiated with his behavior health (drug and mental health) start with Phase: Piggy Back Inc, on Harlem, NY (1986). He holds a master and doctorate degrees in social work, a mental health license. Since 1997, as a Pan Africanist, he advocates for human rights, serving in the position as the United Nations alternate representative for the International Human Rights Association for American Minorities IHRAAM), appointed by and found by the late Dr. Y.N. Kly. (https://ihraam.org/). He assumed the position of Chair of the International Commission for the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America(N’COBRA) in 2000, thereafter becoming a delegate to the United Nations World Conference of Racism in 2001, when slavery was declared a crime against humanity. Working as the fatherhood coordinator, he is pioneering the New Black Birthing Model (midwife, doula, doulo and lactation counselor). He is the founder and executive director of Whm Msw Healing Well, Inc., (whm msw is a Kemet word meaning rebirth) under which many of his service delivery is offered, including doulo services, in partnership with Doulos4Dads, under Daddy University in Phila, PA. He is married to Dr. Fatima Hafiz, they live in Lansdowne, PA and uplift their blended families as proud grandparents.

Dr. Katherine van Wormer, MSSW

Katherine van Wormer, MSSW, Ph.D. is Professor Emerita of Social Work at the University of Iowa. She has taught in departments of sociology, social work, and criminal justice at the University of Northern Iowa and has over twenty years of experience in teaching and public service. Dr. van Wormer was actively involved in the historic civil rights movements in North Carolina and Northern Ireland. She practiced alcoholism counseling for four and a half years, including two in Norway. Dr. van Wormer has been publishing texts, book chapters, and articles for over twenty years.

Like many white children who grew up in a segregated New Orleans, Katherine learned about oppression second-hand, one jolting realization at a time of what black people could do and not do and where they could go and not go. Books like Black Like Me and To Kill a Mockingbird were turning points in her life. Academically, all the books and textbooks that Dr. van Wormer has written deal with oppression in one form or another. Most recently she co-authored Social Work and Social Welfare: A Human Rights Foundation; Women and the Criminal Justice System: Gender, Race, and Class, and Addiction Treatment (in press). Of all her writings, her absolute favorite is The Maid Narratives which contains both disturbing and heart-warming stories from older African American women who take the reader on a journey back in time so the reader can learn everyday details of survival under the southern etiquette of Jim Crow. Resilience is a theme that emerges in the storytelling. Today, Dr. van Wormer writes short pieces on issues of the day, such as police violence, restorative justice, listening to the earth, and reparations for African Americans. Her recent plan is to write a 3rd edition of Confronting Oppression, Restoring Justice for CSWE Press.

A point of interest: Katherine van Wormer has a special connection with Kentucky as her family moved to Bowling Green in the 1960s. She received an MA in sociology from WKU and attended UK while teaching at Transylvania. Until recent years she spent every summer with her mother in Bowling Green.