Crack versus Heroin: Disparity of Response and Why It Still Matters: Angela Ewing-Boyd, Guest Speaker

In 2021 Angela founded Zanasa Center for Healing and Justice to

work full-time with individuals, families, and communities of color to

facilitate healing through therapeutic interventions. These

interventions include cognitive-behavioral and solution-focused

therapy and integrative therapies such as yoga, nutrition, meditation,

and cultural and spiritual practices. Over the next two years, Angela

would like to expand Zanasa's scope of work to include direct service

support and policy reform in housing and food security and substance

use recovery. Angela's training and experience as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

is complemented by her training in meditation and Vinyasa yoga.

Her current research, advocacy, and clinical interests include domestic minor sex trafficking,

food security, supporting the healing of black families, and implementing spiritually-based

solutions in practice settings.

In addition to her therapeutic work, Angela has been working on equity in health and social

access for Black families. She has directed programming to reduce infant mortality at the Family

Health and Birth Center and worked in the private sector as a consultant for infant mortality

reduction at BETAH, a small woman and minority-owned business. Angela has worked in both

advocacy and direct service to support healthy mothers and children, particularly to increase

breastfeeding rates and decrease maternal mortality among Black women in Wards 5, 7, and 8.

She also is experienced as a client advocate in social service access to housing, food security,

and education. She serves on the COVID emergency response team focused on food security

issues that emerged during the pandemic.

Her work in maternal health disparities was featured in the American Public Health Journal and

Journal of Women’s health. In 2014-2015 Angela was selected as a Behavioral Health

Education and Training Program (HUSSW-BHETP) fellow; in 2015 she received the inaugural

Howard University School of Social Work Distinguished Student award and was inducted into

Phi Alpha Social Work Honors Society.