Shayla Walker - Discussion Leader

Shayla Walker is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, an Assistant Professor of Social Work, and the Founding Co-Director of the U.S. Race and Ethnic Studies Program at Longwood University.  Shayla obtained her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and she has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) since 2017.  Shayla has engaged in social work practice in various fields including public, private, and after-school educational settings, child and family welfare settings, acute psychiatric hospitalization, and outpatient therapy. Shayla's research interests include race relations, mental health, and self-care. Shayla is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Transformative Social Change through Saybrook University where she is focused on examining the role of achievement and the Strong Black Woman schema in the lives of Black women.

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Aligned with intersectionality and Black Feminist Thought, I am a firm believer that marginalized voices should be as prevalent and valued as voices from the majority. Project Illuminate provides us the opportunity to understand Black veteran experiences unfiltered, from the source. I am honored to bear witness and hold space for the reflections that are shared and I am hopeful that Project Illuminate will be just as meaningful to the participants as it is to the larger society.