Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes

Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes is a Professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds the title of Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar and previously served as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on Black families, racial justice, and equity for Black women and girls, addressing systemic inequities through projects like the Black Families, Racism, & Resilience (BFRR) Lab in St. Louis. She has received NSF grants for studies on racial violence’s impact and parental messaging about race.

Education: PhD and MA in Psychology from Wayne State University; BS in Psychology from Michigan State University.

Research Interests include racial discrimination in schools, resilience in marginalized communities, and culturally strength-based interventions. She co-edits the Racial Justice in Learning Contexts journal special issue and serves on anti-racism task forces. Her work emphasizes intersectional approaches to address disparities in education and health.

Awards: NSF grants (2020, 2021), Dean’s Distinguished Scholar title. Active in policy advocacy and community partnerships, her lab collaborates with Black families to co-create solutions for systemic inequities.