Welcome from our Faculty of Color Connections Committee chairs!

Devotional Thought: God's Grace

The core of grace is natural love. It is when we become so filled with His love that we naturally begin to reach out to those who are considered the marginalized and downtrodden in this life. This is what love does, love champions the least of these. For God so loved us that He decided to give all of heaven in the person of Jesus Christ to sinners destined to die unless they believed in the son. The closer we become to people who desperately need love is when we come closer to our Lord. The closer we come to our Lord, the more we realize that we should have been considered undesirable and underserving. Ultimately God is trying to input His love in His creatures to spread it to the world. Excerpts from “The Book of El: A 30- day devotional on Love and Justice" by Joshua Nelson, DMIN & Kimberly Nelson, PhD.

And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40 NKJV

Faculty Highlight: Cassandra Johnson, PhD, LPC, CPCS

What does Black History Month mean to you?

As a black wife, mother, and educator, I am thankful for Black History Month! It is a time to be more intentional about honoring black men and women who have paved the way for society to thrive. Most people are only informed about black history when and if it is taught in school. The material encompasses a general overview that is often brief, neglecting the substance of what black history means and how it continues to influence our culture. As a result, an intentional focus during Black History Month is paramount for everyone! It involves paying homage to those who are well-known and discovering those who have yet to be recognized. It includes participating in workshops, conferences, and any activity that creates an opportunity for growth, reflection, and fellowship. As a wife and mother, it is a blessing to share these moments with my family, and as an educator, I enjoy infusing these components into my courses.

What can professionals in your area of expertise do to advocate for the Black community?

Police brutality is one of the most significant struggles in the black community. I would like to see more mental health professionals work alongside the police force to provide education and support in revamping police tactics. More mental health community events should also be held throughout the country to inform the black community about the benefits of mental health counseling and minimize the stigmatization of receiving treatment.

Please share how you, your colleagues, and/or department are/is supporting Black students, staff, faculty and/or the Black community. Provide our SBS (School of Behavioral Sciences) learning community with one strategy or resource we can use to aid individuals both in and outside of Liberty University.

I appreciate the SBS department for allowing faculty to form committees to support diverse learning and interaction among faculty and students. In previous years, it was nice to see faculty and staff come together to have courageous conversations about race. Finally, I value the weekly highlights our Chair and other faculty members shared during Black History Month that could be passed along to our advisees and students.

In providing our SBS learning community with another strategy to continue this movement, I recommend that all students are invited to participate in a Black History Month Project. In this project, each course would have a specific link to the project (perhaps in the form of a discussion forum) in which students would be asked to write about a black leader or movement unknown to them with specific questions for reflection. Each student would be expected to respond to another student’s post. Students would receive extra credit on a particular assignment or the final course grade as an incentive. In considering resources for individuals outside of Liberty University, a webinar could be presented to the public highlighting black pillars in mental health.

Student Highlight: CJ Epps

• Originally from Chesapeake, VA
• B.S., Education, University of Virginia
• M.S., Technology Management, Central Connecticut State University
• Pursuing M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Liberty University
• Currently employed by Cigna (Healthcare) as an associate in the Operations Leadership Development Program which is a 3-year rotational program within Cigna’s operations department
• Leads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team within OLDP
• Leads recruitment team for Tuskegee University (HBCU)
• Serves in the Student and Family Ministry at Calvary Revival Church in Norfolk, VA

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black history is a time to reflect on the numerous contributions black people have made not only in the U.S., but across the world. Black History month is a reminder of the accomplishments and achievements of African Americans in spite of the overwhelming challenges to life as a result of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow laws and institutional racism. In spite of the hardships black people have had to overcome and still continue to fight today, we continue to achieve. Black History is also a time to look forward to the future with optimism towards the change and progress that the black community will continue to drive and inspire.

How do you see Black History represented in your profession: mental health, school counseling, human services, research, social work, etc.? If not, what changes would you like to see?

I don’t see enough black representation in the healthcare profession. I would love to see more African Americans in healthcare being that a lot of the communities we serve include people of color and African American specifically. Increased representation will help address healthcare disparities that are often rooted in unconscious bias.

What can professionals in your area of expertise do to advocate for the Black community?

With increased representation and a strategic plan, we can have a significant impact on matters of health equity. The strategic plan should include mentorship of African American college students with an interest in the field. The mentorship would be a tool to encourage and support their interests and hopefully provide lessons learned so that the students’ path to success would be shortened.

Please share your experience with Liberty University and their contribution to helping diverse communities.

My experience has been great so far! A lot of that has been due to the support of Dr. Stephanie JW Ford. During a meeting she informed me of the Faculty of Color Connections Committee which has helped to support students and faculty of color and give us the tools we need to thrive during our academic journeys at Liberty as well as our professional journeys as counselors.

Featured Black Pioneer in the Mental Health Field: Francis Cecil Sumner, Ph.D.

Dr. Francis Cecil Sumner is considered “the father of Black American psychologists” because he was the first Black man in the US to earn a doctorate in psychology. Dr. Sumner established and headed Howard University's department of psychology. The creation of this new department was crucial to support the next generation of psychologists at the historically Black university. One of Dr. Sumner’s most influential students was Dr. Kenneth Clark. Read more here.

Publications by Liberty's Black Professors: Drs. Krystal Clemons and LaShonda Fuller

Clemons, K., & Cokley, R. (2022). “'There isn’t a racist bone in my body!’: A case study on fostering anti-racism in school counseling”. In Johnson, K., Sparkman-Key, N., Meca, A., & Tarver, S. (Eds.) Developing Anti-Racist Practices in the Helping Professions: Inclusive Theory, Pedagogy, and Application. Palgrave MacMillan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95451-2_16

Hatton, C., & Clemons, K. (2022). “School Counselors as Social Justice Advocates: Dismantling Racism and Bias in Schools.” In Brant-Rahjahn, S., Gibson, E., & Sandifer, M. (Eds). Developing, Delivering, and Sustaining Practices Through a Culturally Affirming Lens. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-9514-5.ch005

Clemons, K., Dodson, F., & Gregory, B. (2022). Divine Nine Connections. ASCA School Counselor Magazine, 59(3), 24-26. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Magazines/January-February-2022/Divine-Nine-Connections

Johnson, K.F., Brookover, D.L., Gantt-Howrey, A., Clemons, K.L., & Robins, L.B. (2022). Anti-Racism Internship: Applying the Ecological Social Justice School Counseling Theory. Counselor Education & Supervision. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12253

Clemons, K., & Johnson, K. (2019) African American pastors and their perceptions of professional school counseling. Journal of Negro Education, 88(4), 467-478. https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.88.4.0467

Fuller, L., Dye, L., Morris, J., Craig, S., & Dickson, J. (2018). Group counseling: African American adolescent females’ resiliency, self-efficacy, and racial identity. Wisconsin Counseling Journal, 30, (pp. 39-56).

Fuller, L. B. (2016). Multicultural considerations: Helping college students in distress. In M. G. Burke, J. D. Sauerheber, A. Hughey, and K. Laves (Eds), Helping skills for working with college students: Applying counseling theory to student affairs practice (chapter 6). New York, NY: Routledge.

Fuller, L. B., Hall-Sally, S., Clay, T., & Reeves, P. (2016). African American college women’s reactions: A group program providing counseling and spiritual support. In T. Hicks (Ed.), Spirituality Research Studies in Higher Education (pp. 116-142). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc.

Fuller, L. B. (2012). Adolescents and substance abuse: Warning signs and school counseling interventions. Georgia School Counselors Association Journal, 12 (1), pp. 26-36.

Fuller, L. B., & Moore, S. L. (2023). Existential therapy and the B-well model in school counseling. In D. Jones, K. Hull, and K. Miller (Eds.), Case conceptualization: A biblical wellness approach (pp.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Co.

Dye, L., Fuller, L., Burke, M., & Hughey, A. (2017). Beyond social justice for the African American learner: A contextual humanistic perspective for school counselors. African American Learners, Journal of ISAAC, 6 (1).

Dr. Krystal Clemons bio; Dr. LaShonda Fuller bio