Dr. Christina Barksdale is a social worker, educator, scholar, and advocate whose work is deeply rooted in lived experience, social justice, and transformative practice. As the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Opportunity, Liberation, and Transformation (JOLT), Dr. Barksdale created the journal to provide a space where difficult conversations can occur openly, critically, and authentically. 

Dr. Barksdale’s passion for systemic change and community empowerment is shaped not only by professional experience but also by personal lived experience. Raised in a low-income family, Dr. Barksdale experienced homelessness as a teenager and navigated the challenges of growing up with a mother impacted by substance misuse. These experiences provided firsthand insight into the realities of systemic inequities, stigma, survival, and resilience. Rather than allowing those experiences to define limitations, Dr. Barksdale transformed them into purpose-driven work centered on advocacy, education, empowerment, and healing. Her professional background in social work, particularly within child welfare and work with children and families, continues to influence her scholarship, teaching, and leadership. 

Dr. Barksdale’s work focuses on creating spaces that bridge lived experience with academic and professional dialogue. Her interests include systemic inequities, practice readiness within the helping professions, children and families, mental health, trauma-informed practice, experiential learning, and innovative approaches to social work education. Through JOLT, Dr. Barksdale hopes to encourage scholars, practitioners, students, and community voices to engage in honest conversations that challenge systems, expand understanding, and promote liberation and transformation for historically marginalized communities. At its core, JOLT reflects Dr. Barksdale’s belief that scholarship should not simply describe social problems, but actively contribute to creating solutions, opportunity, healing, and systemic change.