Beyond Fragility

Yara Mekawi, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, co-founder of the DEAR project, and assistant professor at the University of Louisville. She earned her PhD in clinical-community psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her work focuses on examining racial discrimination and racial prejudice at the intersection of affect and cognition. She is interested in the assessment and integration of anti-racism and social justice-oriented practices within organizations and the implementation of interventions designed to effectively dismantle white supremacy at individual, cultural, and systemic levels.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Yara Mekawi has an employment relationship with the University of Louisville. She receives royalties as a published author. Yara Mekawi receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Yara Mekawi is a member of the - Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the APA Division 45.

 

Natalie Watson-Singleton, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, co-founder of the DEAR Project, and associate professor at Spelman College. She received her PhD in clinical-community psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on two lines of inquiry: (1) Understanding how racism influences African Americans’ health disparities, with special attention to African American women, and (2) Modifying interventions to meet the cultural needs of African Americans. Overall, she aims to produce research that can bridge science and practice to improve the lives of marginalized communities.

Danyelle Dawson, MA, is a doctoral candidate in clinical-community psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and co-founder of the DEAR Project. She received her master’s degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University. Ms. Dawson’s program of research focuses on (1) The mental and physical impacts of racism and discrimination on marginalized populations and (2) Individual and community-level engagement in resistance and healing. She has won several awards recognizing her commitment to diversity and anti-racist endeavors in her work.