Davorka Marovic-Johnson, MEd, NCC, LPC, had a long history of providing mental health services to refugee clients from around the globe before transitioning into private practice. The horrors of war and the stress of adjusting to a new country can have a lasting effect on mental health and physical health. Personal history Davorka came to […]
Pamela Blair taught her children at an early age about the positive, and often hard-to-find, stories and histories of African Americans. When she noticed how other parents and teachers were struggling to find representation, she decided to open her own multicultural bookstore in University City—no business plan, just a hundred books and a passion. History […]
The Reverend Shug G. will be the first to tell you subtlety is not one of her gifts. She and her wife Doris never dreamed they would end up in the Midwest, be legally married, and be so accepted in church. Shug currently serves as Deacon at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ladue. On July […]
At the start of 2020, Melanie K.’s main concern was how her shoulder surgery in July would impact her year. She had no idea the COVID-19 pandemic would threaten even greater limitations. However, Melanie dealt with her obstacles in great form; she provided physical therapy to young clients, coached gymnastics with the Illinois Special Olympics, […]
Tina A. has an intrinsic desire to help others. She loves helping her customers find high-end, reasonably priced clothing at Dos Resale Boutique in downtown Clayton. In November 2020, her desire to help others motivated her to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial. Resale Tina doesn’t like to hold onto anything that she no longer […]
Licensed psychotherapist Ajuma M. uses his life experiences and innate talents to focus on the mental health of young Black men and help them find their path through an obstacle-filled world. He is also a motivational speaker and author who has traveled the world. He learns new languages as a hobby, allowing him to deepen […]
Growing up in the 1980s in North Saint Louis—an area with high rates of crime and poverty—Antajuan A. never imagined he would one day farm this area and that it would become a tool in a fight for social justice. New Roots Antajuan works part-time delivering plants to office spaces; this allows him to be at […]
Audrey uses her past struggles to shape the authentic person she is today—a mother of three, a certified peer recovery support specialist, a domestic violence crisis hotline operator, and a powerful advocate for opioid overdose prevention. Her story Drug addiction changed the canvas of Audrey’s life while in college in the late 1980s. Smoking marijuana […]
Matt T. has spent over 20 years examining how people think, particularly when it comes to race and ethnicity. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences and the Associate Dean For Faculty Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, with an interest in minority mental health. […]
Felice M. recognizes the struggles of the pandemic from multiple perspectives—she is the mother of two children at different life stages and the wife of a funeral home operator. As a full-time nonprofit and strategic communications consultant, Felice focuses on using her skills to help strengthen local systems of support. She advocates for conversation and action […]