Back to All Events

In the Spirit of Sankofa: Celebrating the Resiliency of The Black Family

Please join us on February 24th for a Community Conversation to discuss solutions regarding education, mental and physical health and economic disparity and empowerment!

Hosted by Bill Davis and featuring panelists Dr. Tawanda Hubbard (NJ Black Social Workers), Dr. Pamela Clax, MD and James Williams (NJ Fair Share Housing Center).

Viewing available via Zoom or Bill Davis’ Facebook Live.

PANELIST BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Tawanda Hubbard, MSW, DSW, LCSW 

Dr. Tawanda Hubbard is a social work educator and practitioner. She teaches at her alma mater, Rutgers SSW as a part-time lecturer and former faculty at Monmouth University SSW. She was honored as RUSSW Outstanding Doctoral Student Instructor in 2016.  Dr. Hubbard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience in child welfare, behavioral health, adolescent and family therapy, and clinical practice. Dr. Hubbard is a clinical supervisor, consultant, and trainer with NJ Victims Assistance Academy and NJ Child Welfare Partnership. She conducts webinars, workshops and presentations based on her scholarship interests (anti-racism, oppositionality in adolescence, relational neglect in adolescents, social justice in clinical practice, etc.). She serves on Rutgers School of Social Work Alumni Advisory Council and CSWE Minority Fellowship Doctoral Advisory Council.  Dr. Hubbard is the immediate past president of NASW-NJ Chapter and CSWE Minority Fellowship Doctoral Alumna.

Pamela Clax, DPM   

Dr. Pamela Clax is Director, Safety and Pharmacovigilance physician in the Worldwide Safety group at Pfizer Inc. Dr. Clax has extensive experience at the National Institutes of Health and in the pharmaceutical/healthcare companies including Pfizer, Merck, Abbott Laboratories and Ortho Diagnostics (J&J) in clinical research and development, and drug safety in HIV/AIDS and other disease areas.

Dr. Clax earned her medical degree in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine and completed her residency training in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at Southwest Detroit Hospital, where she was Chief Resident. She completed the Rutgers University Mini-MBA program in Global BioPharma Entrepreneurship. She is an African American Alumni of Rutgers University, Douglass College.

Dr. Clax was the principal medical lead on the first clinical study in pregnant HIV-positive women sponsored by a pharmaceutical company.She was also selected for the NIH Management CADRE program, a career development program in management and leadership. She is the recipient of several awards including the prestigious National Institutes of Health Director’s Award for scientific leadership in Advancing Clinical Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoint Research Applications; a three-time awardee of the W.E. Upjohn Award for strategic scientific leadership at Pfizer; and a two-time awardee for clinical and scientific contributions to the success of Kaletra®, the first co-formulated protease inhibitor to treat HIV infection while working at Abbott Laboratories.

Dr. Clax has co-authored several peer-reviewed published articles on topics such as Treatments for Cervical Dysplasia in HIV-Positive Women, Antiretroviral Treatment of Pregnant HIV-Positive Women, 

James Williams

James is the Director of Racial Justice Policy with the Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) of New Jersey. In this capacity James plays a leadership role in charting the next generation of state and national policy to address critical issues of racial justice, fair housing, climate change, and disaster recovery, coordinating FSHC’s work in this area and collaborating with a diverse range of other groups on the state level and nationally.

Prior to joining FSHC, James served as an Apprenticeship Program Specialist in the Research, Policy & Innovation Business Unit at Philadelphia Works Inc. Where he was responsible for promoting, supporting and advancing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in the Southeast Pennsylvania region. He will be responsible for conducting outreach to employers and apprenticeship partners, providing technical assistance, developing the programs and so much more.

Prior to joining Philadelphia Works, James worked as the Manager of Community Engagement for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. James was a frequent speaker at community events and forums throughout the state. In addition to speaking events, James was responsible for establishing community relationships, connecting residents to services and advocating their concerns. These events were focused on Criminal Justice Reform, Economic Mobility and Civic Engagement.

Before joining the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, he worked for the United States Air Force with their Family Advocacy Program at Good fellow Air Force Base and Kirtland Air Force Base. Prior to that position he worked primarily in higher education for Fayetteville State University, Troy University, Brown Mackie College and Park University, as a lecturer of Criminal Justice. James, currently serves as an adjunct professor of Criminal Justice for Rutgers University – Camden. He has worked with police departments, military installations and community organizations on a variety of issues including, Community Policing, Juvenile Justice, and Police Procedures

James Williams’ Recommended Reading List
Disparities in Wealth by Race and Ethnicity in the 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances | The Fed
The Black-white wealth gap left Black households more vulnerable | Brookings
Examining the Black-White Wealth Gap | Brookings
Creating Economic Justice | NJ Institute for Social Justice

Professor Davis Recommended Readings

Recommended Videos

The Myth Of The Absent Black Father | AJ+

Race Relations Through a Child's Eyes | CNN

Inside the AC360 Doll Study | CNN

Free Resources | Fathers Incorporated

Moynihan Black Poverty Report Revisited 50 Years Later | NPR

Revisiting the Moynihan Report | The Atlantic

THE BLACK TAX: THE COST OF BEING BLACK IN AMERICA | Shawn D. Rochester