In celebration of National Social Work Month, MTSU will present a scholar who researches racism-based stress, family conflict resolution, and child abuse and neglect.

Dr. Marva Lewis

Dr. Marva Lewis, a professor of social work at Tulane University, will speak about “Historical Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, in the State Farm Lecture Hall in MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building, Room BAS S-102.

Her talk, which is free and open to the public, is part of MTSU’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

A campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap. Off-campus visitors attending the event can obtain a special one-day permit at www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.

Lewis has published work on issues related to childhood experiences of racial acceptance and rejection, intergenerational stress associated with internalized oppression, and “colorism,” or valuing light skin over dark skin.

She also has developed tools for individual and organizational audits on stereotypes and emotions associated with topics of diversity.

In 2011, the National Zero to Three Safe Babies Court Teams commissioned Lewis to conduct a series of workshops titled “Healing from the Historical Trauma of Slavery.”

“Elevate Social Work” is the official theme of National Social Work Month as designated by the National Association of Social Workers.

The organization’s website, www.socialworkers.org, calls it “an opportunity for social workers around the nation and world and their supporters to educate the public about the invaluable contributions of the profession.”

The site adds, “Every day, the nation’s 680,000 social workers work to empower and elevate millions of people, including some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

For more information about National Social Work Month events, contact Dr. Ariana Postlethwait, an associate professor in the Department of Social Work, at 615-898-2868 or ariana.postlethwait@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)