Developmental psychologist Sheretta Butler-Barnes, who studies the impact of racism and the use of culturally strength-based assets on the educational and health outcomes of Black American adolescents, will present the Boston College School of Social Work’s annual Pinderhughes Diversity Lecture Friday, April 23, from noon-1 p.m.
Butler-Barnes’ talk, “Ain’t I a Woman? Revisiting and Reclaiming African American Girls’ Racialized and Gendered Experiences within the Classroom,” will be held in virtual format. RSVP for the event here.
Sheretta Butler-Barnes
An associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, Butler-Barnes focuses her research agenda on two areas. The Strengths-Based Assets of Black Adolescents Project explores how Black youth draw on personal and cultural assets and resources to thrive despite challenges to their identities from interpersonal experiences of racism. The Celebrating Strengths of Black Girls Project centers on advancing equity for women and girls of color.
Prior to joining the Brown School faculty, Butler-Barnes was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan’s School of Education, which is affiliated with the Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context. She received a doctorate and master’s degree from Wayne State University in developmental psychology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University.
The Pinderhughes Diversity Lecture Series, which launched in 2007, has featured doctors, anthropologists, and journalists who have reflected on topics like poverty, racism, and same-sex marriage. The series is named in honor of Elaine Pinderhughes, a professor emerita of the School of Social Work whose seminal research revealed that race, ethnicity, and power strongly influence how social workers interact with clients.
University Communications | April 2021