Summer Highlights
The Summer season—June, July, and August, brings a sense of hope and possibilities, as gardens come into their fullness, and sunshine brightens longer days. Shining a light on social change issues, Walden University academic research seeks to understand, include, and inspire throughout the summer season.
June is Pride Month, a time to recognize the history and contributions of LGBTQ+ communities. “The Stonewall riots in New York were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement. Initially celebrated on the last Sunday of June as ‘Gay Pride Day,’ the day is now flexible. In major cities across the nation, the ‘day’ soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts. Learn more about the origins of Pride from the Library of Congress.” (National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution)
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, “a time to bring awareness to the unique challenges that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face when it comes to mental illness. In 2020, fewer than one in every two African American adults got care for mental health. In 2018, Asian Americans were 60 percent less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Hispanic Whites. Obstacles for many include a lack of health insurance, less access to treatment, and stigma.” (fda.gov)
August is Women’s Equality Month, which celebrates the August 26, 1920 U.S. certification of the 19th Amendment. That event opened the door to allow majority U.S. women to vote and inextricably linked such opportunity to the historical legacy of civil rights activism of Black American women.
As the selected academic journal articles and doctoral dissertations below show, Walden University’s academic “gardens” bloom with a variety of related observations, revelations, and applications. Read on!
Vivat academia,
Lisa Pertillar-Brevard, Ph.D.
Lead Faculty and Director
Center for Social Change
Walden University
August: Women’s Equality Month
Related Walden University Dissertations
- Female Leaders’ Lived Experience of Transitioning to Leaders of Knowledge Workers in a Hybrid Workplace Model
Jennifer Amy Ladouceur, 03/2024 - The Role of Diversity Management Policies and Practices in Advancing Inclusive Culture
Christopher Emeka Babundo, 01/2023 - Understanding Presidential Voting Motivation by Factors of Agency
Sharlene Wilson, 01/2015
July: Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
Related Research Published in Walden University Academic Journals
Medical and Mental Health Comorbidities Among Minority Racial/Ethnic Groups in the United States
Naheed Ahmed, C. Andrew Conway, Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 06/2020
Related Walden University Dissertations
- Mental Health Disparities Among Minority Populations
Arrey Irenee Eyongherok, 01/2019 - Facilitating Collaboration Among School and Community Providers In Children's Mental Health
Holly J. Curran, 01/2018 - Mental Health Stigma, Cultural Barriers, Ethnicity and Treatment Seeking Among College Women
Alandrea Martin, PhD, LMFT, 11/2023 - The Role of Parental Military Status and Educational Attainment on Mental Health Service Usage Among Children and Adolescents
Cierra Jones Williams, 01/2023 - African Immigrants' U.S. Experience of Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Help-Seeking
Bartholomew Edem-Enang, 01/2021
June: Pride Month
Related Research Published in Walden University Academic Journals
Bella Abzug, queer rights, and disrupting the status quo
Trevor G. Gates, Margery C. Saunders, Journal of Sustainable Social Change, 01/2015
Related Walden University Dissertations
- Rural High School Staff Experiences in Implementing Intervention Strategies Against Bullying of LGBTQ Students
Ashley Gray, 01/2018 - Understanding the Barriers of LGBTQ Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System
Quadasha Mcilwaine, 01/2023 - Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors with Gender Diverse Clients
Corinne W. Bridges, 05/2021
Spring Highlights
The Spring season, witnessing the delicate blooming of flowers, and the buzzing of bees, is an inspiring time to advance positive social change. April 11-17 was Black Maternal Health Week, established in 2017, by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). In recognition of Black Maternal Health Week, Walden University hosted a virtual symposium! To learn more about it, please visit the following webpage, and register to experience an encore presentation of Black Maternal and Child Health: Improving Health Outcomes for Black Mothers and Their Babies—A Real World Solutions to Real World Problems Walden University virtual symposium (originally streamed live April 17, 2024).
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, an observance and awareness-raising campaign “established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans' lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health is essential for a person's overall health. Prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can recover from mental disorders and live full and productive lives.” (Youth.gov) Below are a just a few examples of related academic research published by Walden University academic journals, designed to help Set a Course for Change™.
May: National Mental Health Awareness Month
Related Research Published in Walden University Academic Journals
James Scollione, Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, October 2021
Subi Gandhi, Ryan Glaman, Elizabeth Wachira, Muna Bashir, Sushma Sharma, et al., Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, July 2022
Sabrina Cherry, Ayanna Robinson, Jared Jashinsky, Grace Bagwell-Adams, Michelle Elliott, et al., Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, January 2017
- Student Teachers and Mental Health: A Qualitative Study on Students’ Experiences Living With a Mental Health Condition, Diane Kratt, Michael Houdyshell, Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, April 2020
- “Tell Me When ‘Normal’ Stops”: How Parents Recognized Their Child’s Mental Illness
Lori Salgado, Journal of Sustainable Social Change
March: Women's History Month
- March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize women’s achievements. Take time to talk to women in your community: learn about the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
- Explore related academic research conducted by Walden University emerging scholars and scholar-practitioners.
- Learn about National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10, 2024).
- Consider attending the Virtual Walden University Social Change Fellows Symposium, March 13-14, 2024.
Related Walden University Dissertations
Author: Sondra Jean Beall-Davis
Author: Salma Debs-Ivall
Author: Marlo Greponne
February: Black History Month
The month of February is quite interesting, because despite being the shortest month of the year, it plays host to two very important events: Black History Month – a time to recognize African diasporan achievements; and February 14 – Valentine’s Day: a day which traditionally centers around the expression of love. Consider honoring both, by studying the life and work of Frederick Douglass, former chattel slave and abolitionist, whose actual birthday, while still unknown, is celebrated on Valentine’s Day.
February 1: Deadline for Research and Applications for Social Change Grants (RASCG). For information about the RASCG, please contact grants@mail.waldenu.edu
Related Walden University Dissertations
Author: Oresha Sharlene Greenidge Foster
Author: Alfred Javier Hawkins
January: Civil Rights Month
The New Year brings new opportunities to celebrate, connect, and collaborate! Re-energize and recommit to social change:
- Remember the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Explore related academic research conducted by Walden University emerging scholars and scholar-practitioners.
- Learn about the Research and Applications for Social Change Grant (RASCG).
- Be inspired by Walden Social Change Fellows.
Related Walden University Dissertations
Author: Frances Vinell Jackson
Author: George Raymond McCord Jr
Walden University Research & Applications for Social Change Grant (RASCG) applications are due in early February 2024.
Please contact grants@mail.waldenu.edu with questions about the RASCG program.
Walden University Social Change Directory
“Walden University defines positive social change as a deliberate process of creating and applying ideas, strategies, and actions to promote the worth, dignity, and development of individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, cultures, and societies. Positive social change results in the improvement of human and social conditions.” (Walden University, LLC. 2023. Social Change. Vision, Mission, and Goals. Walden University Student Handbook.)
Toward achieving these ends, the Walden University Center for Social Chage provides the following connections to research-related activities and applied projects as evidence of positive social change throughout Walden University and the Walden Community.
Aspire Blogzine, Walden University.
College of Psychology and Community Services.
- Walden University, LLC. (2022). Walden social change. [Interactive media]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com
Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS), Walden University.
Office of Civic Engagement and Leadership (CEL), Walden University.
Office of Inclusive Teaching and Learning (ITL), Walden University.
- McCune, Nina. (Ed.) (2022, June). Advancing DEI and Creating Inclusive Environments in the Online Space. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-5146-5
Office of Research and Doctoral Services (ORDS), Walden University.
Office of Teaching and Learning Excellence (OTLE), Walden University.
- Johnson, G. D. (2023, Winter). Johnson, G. D. Compassionate Teaching Strategies in Digital Classrooms for Adult Online Students.
- Brevard, L. P., & McCormick, L. J. (2021). Catch-Up Plans" as a Demonstration of Empathy in the Student-Instructor Relationship.
Podcasts at Walden University.
School of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Studies (SIUS), Walden University.
- Brevard, L. P., & McCormick, L. J. (2023). Catch-up plans: "Extra time and a ladder to climb": A restorative justice practice to foster undergraduate student persistence and retention. In Vah Seliskar, H. (Ed.). Restorative Justice and Practices in the 21st Century. Hershey, PA: IGI Global (Chapter 3). DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-6145-7.ch003.
Social Change Collection, ScholarWorks, Walden University.
Walden Mini-Libraries, sponsored by Walden University.
- Higher Learning Research Communications
- International Journal of Applied Management and Technology
- Journal of Excellence in Nursing and Healthcare Practice
- Journal of Educational Research and Practice
- Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences
- Journal of Sustainable Social Change
- Journal of Social Work in the Global Community
The Walden University Minnesota Collection, ScholarWorks, Walden University.
Walden University Center for Social Change, Walden University.
Walden-Cast™: Walden University Social Change Forecaster™
Walden-Cast™: Social Change Forecaster™ is the first tool of its kind. Developed here at Walden University, we consider it the social change equivalent of a weather forecast. A weather forecast can provide us with helpful information about impending weather changes, so that we can adapt our clothing choices and travel plans accordingly. Similarly, the Walden-Cast™ can provide subscribers with social change updates and related opportunities, to inform Walden University community members in adapting academic research and real-world applications projects to address current and emerging social change issues.
Walden-Cast™ aims to:
- Allow Walden University faculty, staff, and students to access selected up-to-the-minute public health and social change data for academic research here at Walden University.
- Enable the Walden University community to reach out to affected U.S. geographic areas where emergent communicable diseases are on the rise.
- Increase global awareness of positive social change efforts at Walden University.
- Document positive social change efforts in and through Walden University.
- Provide an opportunity for Walden University community members to tell us their social change stories.
- Foster Information Literacy, a Walden University Institutional Learning Outcome (ILO).
Aspire Blogzine, Center for Social Change, Walden University.
Tell Us Your Social Change Story
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). COVID Tracker: Wastewater Surveillance.
Learn About CDCs Emails Subscription Service
Research Studies Seeking Volunteers, Office of Research and Doctoral Services, Walden University.
Please provide your email address to receive monthly listings of new Walden studies needing volunteers: Participant Pool Request Form. You may opt out at any time by replying "unsubscribe.”
Social Change Highlights, Center for Social Change, Walden University.
ScholarWorks, Walden University.
Past Events
- Real-World Solutions to Real-World Problems Series Black Maternal and Child Health Conference
- Walden Social Change Fellows Virtual Symposium
- Critical Covid-19 Conversations: Storytelling and Saving Lives
- Pandemics, Privacy, and Public Policy
- Expanding the Women-in-Leadership Advantage Conference
- Global Response to, and Challenges of, the COVID-19 Coronavirus
- Cross-Cultural Collaborations: Embracing Authenticity, Humility, and Vulnerability to Strengthen Positive Social Change
- A Social Change Challenge: Water is Toxic, and Food is Scarce. What Will We Do?