NAACP Honors Eastern Professor Eunice Matthews
Willimantic, CT (10/02/2019) — On Sept. 27, at the NAACP's Annual Freedom Fund Dinner, the Stamford NAACP presented Eunice Matthews, professor of social work and coordinator of the Social Work Program at Eastern Connecticut State University, its prestigious Dr. Joyce Yearwood Humanitarian Award. Matthews lives in Port Chester, NY.
The award is given to an individual who is a premier advocate for fairness, justice and equality in the community in health care, employment, housing, education or voting rights. The award recognized Matthews for her work as a clinician providing mental health services for two decades to adults and adolescents in southern Connecticut.
The theme for the evening was "Mental Health in the African American Community." Dana Lewis, special assistant to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, delivered the keynote address.
Other dignitaries on hand included Robert Perry, senior pastor at the Union Baptist Church in Stamford; Stamford Mayor David Martin; and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who praised Matthews, saying, "Dr. Yearwood was a personal friend who I loved and greatly respected for her diligence in enhancing the lives of others. I thank you, Dr. Matthews, for the wonderful work you have done so effortlessly and continue to do in transforming the lives of so many people in Stamford and beyond."
Sen. Christopher Murphy wrote, "Dr. Eunice Matthews' commitment to social work and clinical social demonstrates her tireless efforts to advocate for the people in her community through her medical practice in Stamford. It is my privilege to recognize her exceptional achievements… and the work…she has done to benefit our state."
Matthews secured her first faculty appointment at Fordham University's School of Social Services. She joined Eastern in 2000 and helped develop Eastern's nationally recognized Social Work program. In 2001, she also began serving as a clinician at the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, and as a consultant for the Healthy Families New York in South Bronx, NY, where she served for 15 years.
Matthews continues to contribute to the intellectual discourse in her field, serving on the board of directors of the Southern Conference of African American Studies and the Council of Social Work Education. She earned her bachelor's degree in Social Work at Morgan State University; her master's degree in Social Work at Columbia University; and her Ph.D. in Sociology at the City University of New York.
Lewis, of Weston, CT and president/CEO of In Other Words, is a 20-year federal public civil servant and graduated from Hampton University. She is working to set up mental health chapters on every (HBCU) Historically Black College and University in the nation. Lewis has been published in People and Fresh Lifestyle Magazines and in Accenture's Global Network of Health Experts.
Written by Dwight Bachman
###
Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving 5,200 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 29 other states and 20 other countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 30 public universities in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2019 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review nine years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
Media Attachments
Left to right, Stacey Close, Eastern’s associate provost and vice president for equity and diversity; Sen. Richard Blumenthal; Eunice Matthews; Denise Rodriguez, lecturer in Eastern’s Department of Social Work; Shirley Matthews, sister of Eunice Matthews and professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University; and Isabel Logan, assistant professor of social work at Eastern.