CSSW Starts Off Women’s History Month with Three Prominent Women Speakers
With the advent of Women’s History Month, Columbia School of Social Work is honored to be hosting three women who are making history in fields related to social work, all within the first two weeks of March.
On Tuesday March 2nd, Dr. Redonna Chandler, a leading epidemiologial researcher with expertise on drug addiction and addictive disorders, will address a faculty and student audience about her work as acting director of the Epidemiology, Serices, and Prevention Research unit at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Specifically, she will talk about the agency’s efforts to address substance abuse and HIV within the criminal justice system, a topic of concern to many social workers. Dr. Chandler is the guest of theT32 Fellowship Program, a NIDA-funded initiative of the School’s Social Intervention Group in partnership with the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health. T32 provides training for the next generation of researchers in the prevention, treatment, and care of HIV and drug abuse among individuals in the criminal justice system. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Room 532 at the Mailman School (732 West 168th Street), REGISTER AT EVENTBRITE | WATCH ON LIVESTREAM.
On Friday, March 6th, Dr. Michelle Alexander will be the keynote speaker for the opening night of Beyond the Bars: Transforming (In)Justice, the School’s 5th annual criminal justice conference, cosponsored by the School’s Criminal Justice Caucus and the Center for Justice at Columbia University. A highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer, advocate, and legal scholar, Dr, Alexander made waves that could be felt all over the country with the publication of her book The New Jim Crow, a devastating critique of the American prison system. Indeed, many CSSW students say that reading Dr. Alexander’s book changed the way they perceived the American paradigm of criminal justice and in turn inspired them to become part of the “beyond the bars” movement. There are no seats left for Dr. Alexander’s talk but interested parties can tune in VIA LIVESTREAM.
And next Tuesday, March 11th, the School will host Her Excellency Inonge WIna, the first woman to hold the office of vice president in the government of Zambia. HE Wina, who trained as a social worker, has been active in politics since she was elected to the Zambian Parliament in 2001. In 2014 she became the nation’s first MInister of Gender, a tribute to her years of championing women’s rights at the grassroots level. At the CSSW event, to take place at Columbia University’s Casa Italiana from noon to 1:00 p.m., she will be speaking on the empowerment of women in Zambia. REGISTER AT EVENTBRITE | WATCH ON LIVESTREAM.
In a month where America is celebrating women’s invaluable contributions to society at large, the Columbia School of Social Work is providing a range of current examples that should inspire us all.
