Sister of ’63 Church Bombing Victim to Lecture at UA School of Social Work Feb. 21

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Shirley Wesley King will be the featured speaker for The University of Alabama’s School of Social Work’s 15th Annual Celebratory Colloquium Friday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. in 223 Little Hall on the UA campus.

King, president and co-founder of Southwest Behavioral Systems Inc. (SWBS) in Dallas, is the sister of the late Cynthia Wesley, one of the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

In addition to King’s lecture, the event will feature a tribute to the 4 girls on the 40th anniversary of the bombing.

The Colloquium Series, held during African-American Heritage month, celebrates the significant contributions of African-American social workers. The lecture is free and open to the public.

SWBS is a behavioral healthcare organization specializing in minority mental health, individual, family, group, and substance abuse counseling.

King has previously served as associate dean and associate professor of social work at The University of Texas at Arlington; program specialist for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare’s Administration on Aging; and a research associate at the National Center and Caucus on Black Aged in Washington, D.C.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology/psychology from Spelman College; a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh; and a doctorate in social work from Washington University in St. Louis.