Everyone has a story to tell and a life to learn from. For BSSW student, La’Ericka Butts, these narratives are the “why” that puts people and communities at the forefront of her work.
From engaging with her community to expressing herself as an artist, Butts entered Ohio State excited to integrate her passion for storytelling into a career of her own. However, like many undergraduate students, she was faced with the age-old question: What’s the ‘right’ degree for me?
After exploring some of Ohio State’s many programs, she just happened to stop by the college’s career fair and chatted with Assistant BSSW Program Director Andrea Severson. This led to her attending an in-person class and Butts discovering that social work is the answer she was looking for.
Now, in her senior year, she’s had ample opportunities to explore and refine her pathway in social work both in and out of the classroom. Butts specifically highlights community lecturer Monique Phifer, LISW-S, as a notable figure in her education journey and praises her people-first teaching style, as well as the in-class visits Phifer coordinated between students and different community members.
Butts recalls how meaningful it was to learn from these guests in such a direct and genuine way.
“Professor Phifer taught me a lot about the importance of not just advocating for diverse communities, but also being in community with them,” says Butts, “and learning about their experiences. This is very helpful in becoming a culturally competent social worker.”
Butts has also interned and connected with multiple hospitals and adjacent community centers to see how social work comes into play in different health care environments.
Two organizations in particular greatly impacted her research interests: Healthy Communities Center located in east Columbus, with whom she completed her Buckeye Pathways Summer Internship, and Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT), a black-led, community-based healthcare organization in Columbus that provides full perinatal support.
At Healthy Communities Center, Butts worked directly with the Moms2B program in a variety of roles, including as a materials distribution aid, event planner, and child supervision provider. Most importantly, through her conversations with these women, she learned first-hand what barriers still exist when it comes to navigating pregnancy in today’s medical systems.
Butts learned about ROOTT while researching local doulas in Columbus and was inspired by its work grounded in equity and culturally rooted care, especially in connecting mothers to a robust restorative support network. Butts directly connected with founder Jessica Roach and received invaluable mentorship. Roach also provided important research strategies that later inspired Butts’ own methodology, such as incorporating the epidemiological model known as the “Web of Causation.”
Butts captured these experiences in her honors thesis, “Transforming the Experience: The Impact of Community-Based Doula’s on Black Mothers’ Voices, Choices and Health.” Advised by faculty member, Dr. Lois Stepney, her research investigates the invaluable impact of community-based doulas as birthing advocates in Black communities. Butts’ methodology focuses on interviewing mothers about their pregnancy experiences and struggles, as well as the perspective of these doulas on what makes their roles so crucial in the face of such adversities.
“I hope my research can inspire Black mothers to obtain a doula during their pregnancy to help change the statistics surrounding maternal and infant outcomes,” says Butts. “I also hope this research empowers Black mothers and encourages them to take their power back in spaces that have historically disadvantaged us and excluded our health in the process.
“With this work, I aim to educate, reform and transform outcomes that have long been accepted as ’it is what it is.’ and help develop a deeper understanding of why these issues exist and how we can change them.”
