Family Well-Being: Navigating the Social Justice Landscape
About This Series
The 2022 Military Family Readiness Academy series focuses on individuals’ understanding of social justice and equity, including their own understanding of privilege and oppression.
Courses and panel discussions will equip family service providers with the skills to identify barriers that impact a family’s health and well-being and identify opportunities for social justice advocacy in their work. The Academy series will address the intersections between engaging a social justice mindset as a family service professional and the ability to support the well-being of diverse military families.
Courses
Introduction to Social Justice Lenses for Family Well-Being
This course explores a social justice lens through which family service providers can view prohibitive barriers that negatively impact family well-being.
Family Service Providers: Recognizing and Responding to Inequities
This course addresses how family service providers can learn to identify and assess impediments to family well-being through a social justice lens.
Social Justice and Military Families
This course addresses the specific work of social justice advocacy among family service providers, in the context of military families and their health and well-being.
Podcast Episodes
Social Justice and Family Well-Being
In this episode of the Practicing Connection podcast, Shawn Trenell O’Neal, shares social justice lenses for family well-being.
Recognizing and Responding to Inequity
Examine the nature of prejudice and the impact of discrimination on individuals and families, and discover how to approach individuals in the most trauma-informed way in this podcast episode.
Social Justice and Military Families
Presenters address the specific work of social justice advocacy among military service providers and examines the concept of belonging and inclusion through a framework of self-care, healing, and resilience.
Special Guests
Hear Messages from our special guests!
Mrs. Patricia M. Barron – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy
Mrs. 
Barron is currently responsible for a broad portfolio that includes policy, advocacy, and oversight of all community support to service members and their families. As an Army spouse for 30 years, she has been involved in myriad efforts to support military families.
Dr. Brenda Martin – National Program Leader with USDA-NIFA
Dr. Brenda Martin is a National Program Leader with USDA-NIFA. Prior to joining USDA-NIFA, she worked in higher education as a university professor for twenty-four years, including seven years as department chairperson. Dr. Martin holds memberships in several professional, educational, and civic organizations.
