The World Health Organization (WHO) conceptualizes health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." CWI concurs and expands on this definition with the following, "Wellness is a state of complete, physical, psychological, social, communal, cultural and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. Individuals who are whole co-create communities that are whole. Further, well-being or wellness is no longer relegated to measuring by economic standards but takes into consideration the fundamental rights of people—the respect and honoring of human dignity" (Palmer, 2023, p. 8).
References:
Palmer, G. (2023) Looted artifacts and museums’ perpetuation of imperialism and racism: Implications for preserving cultural heritage. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1-9,
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12653
Our mission is to transform existing inequitable and oppressive social relations, structures and spaces. We accomplish this mission through generating scholarly and equitable primary research, using other culturally appropriate external data and extant literature, developing individual and collective critical consciousness, raising public awareness, and decolonizing research, writing and publishing. We also engage in a number of social action activities.
CWI envisions that "justice" is the norm, not the exception in all aspects of individual, families, communities and broader society. We see a world that is unlimited in its love, grace and celebration of all.
Co-founder- CWI has over two decades of professional experience in senior and middle leadership within human services agencies primarily focused on housing and homelessness services. It is this work that is the impetus behind Dr. Palmer's current mission to disrupt and dismantle inequitable social relations, structural systems of oppression and spaces that result in social and racial injustices such as the overrepresentation of Black/African Americans in the homeless system. Ongoing work include raising awareness around inequities in our society such as language that "others" and silences voices, and better understanding the biopsychosocial effects of historical or intergenerational trauma specifically among contemporary African Americans. This understanding fuels action. Her work is grounded in the intersection of critical community psychology, and Black/African American cultural capital, historical contexts, community life and liberation. In addition to helping lead CWI, she is an Assistant Professor at Adler University, Chicago where she teaches community psychology, a diversity course, and professional development seminars.
Co-founder - CWI has 20 + years experience building and supporting IT, commercial, and medical operations organizations in the pharmaceutical sector. His work includes strategic partnering in designing evidence-based operations from an organization's values, mission, and strategy statements to function and role definition to cross-functional processes and practices complete with performance management objectives and measurement structures; His work has a strong emphasis on group collaborative intelligence and cross-functional process innovation. Todd is integral in advancing CWI's work through operations and fiscal management, creating systems models, research design, data gathering and analyses, project management and consulting.
Independent Consultant. Loraine is the owner of LPSnead Consulting, LLC and is an accomplished professional with extensive leadership and teaching experience in a range of learning environments including public, charter, and independent schools. She is trained by the National SEED Project to empower educators, students, and parents to help make schools, curricula and teaching modalities more gender and multiculturally equitable and just. Loraine facilitates workshops, leads initiatives and other projects hosted by LPSnead Consulting, CWI and its partners.