BIO

Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes is a highly esteemed scholar, theologian, and clinical psychologist whose work focuses upon healing the legacies of racial and gender oppression. A professor of practical theology and pastoral care at Columbia Theological Seminary, Dr. Chanequa is the author of Sacred Self-Care, I Bring the Voices of My People, and Too Heavy a Yoke. With her compelling insights and thought-provoking work, she has emerged as a leading voice in the pursuit of social change and healing in the Christian church.

Dr. Chanequa possesses a rich and varied academic background in behavioral health, theology, and race/gender studies. She began her career as a clinical research psychologist, earning degrees from Emory University (B.A., Psychology and African-American/African Studies) and the University of Miami (M.S. and Ph.D., Clinical Child/Family Psychology). Upon being called to ministry, she left her tenure-track faculty position to attend seminary, earning her M.Div. from Duke University. Her interdisciplinary expertise enables her to bridge psychology and theology, offering a unique and holistic perspective on social change and the challenges faced by marginalized communities.

At the core of Dr. Chanequa's work is a deep commitment to dismantling intersectional oppression and promoting justice and healing in the Christian church and the broader US society. Through her research, writing, and speaking engagements, she examines the effects of racism and oppression on mental health and spiritual well-being, aiming to foster healing and resilience within marginalized communities and to inspire people to transformative social action.

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Chanequa spends most of her professional energy writing and ministering to clergy and faith-based activists, and generally caping for women of color engaged in Christian social justice activism. Her faith has been shaped by Methodist, Baptist, and evangelical social justice communities as well as by Buddhism and Islam. She was ordained by an independent fellowship that holds incarnational theology, community engagement, social justice, and prophetic witness as its core values.

In her thirty years in higher education, she has been a Hurricane (U. Miami), Gator (U. Florida), Tar Heel (UNC-Chapel Hill), Blue Devil (Duke), and Bear (Shaw & Mercer). Yet somehow, she is still not a sports fan.