Biography

Emeka began his career as a certified high school social studies teacher right after graduating from college in the 1970s. He then had a short stint in special education and practice with hearing-impaired adolescents. Upon immigrating with his family to the United States, he worked full time odd jobs including painting, garbage collection, McDonald's restaurants service work, grueling snow shoveling, cleaning hotel rooms and taking full-time classes (as required by his non-immigrant visa) at a state college in Vermont. He and his family endured the extreme poverty, shocks and stresses of relocating from tropical Africa to studying and working in the coldest state in the U.S.

Dr. Nwadiora was employed as a clinical social worker at the Berlin New Hampshire Mental Health Center for several years. He later pursued his advanced education in clinical social work and thereafter joined the teaching faculty at Springfield College in Massachusetts upon graduating with his doctorate from Howard University in Washington, D.C. He relocated to Temple University in 1991 after teaching at the Springfield College for three years. Emeka earned tenure and promotion to associate professor from Temple University in 1996.

The unquenchable thirst for knowledge on the impact of slavery and colonialism that triggered past and contemporary colossal demonization, objectification and exploitation of black people globally drove him to enroll and engage in an in-depth study of these populations. Dr. Nwadiora’s second PhD dissertation on the theological misorientations of African peoples globally as the greatest source of their present captivity and crisis and the urgent need for the adoption of a unified African religion for African peoples globally was approved.

Emeka’s concern for global justice and immigration compelled him to enroll at Hofstra University School of Law—concentrating on immigration/asylum law—while still teaching full time at Temple University. He received his JD and later earned the LLM in Trial Advocacy from Temple University Beasely School of Law.

Dr. Nwadiora is the co-author of the book “Introductions to African Religions.” He has traveled globally and presented papers, mainly on the psychopathologies of colonialism and enslavement. He has for the past fifteen years been the weekly host of “Dr. Emeka Show” on WURD 900AM in Philadelphia, PA—an interactive radio show that invites experts in several disciplines to educate both local, national and international audiences on critical matters or subjects that impact vulnerable populations. He is currently working on a book titled “Psycho-cultural and Legal Problems of African Immigrants in the USA.”

Dr. Nwadiora's teaching awards include The Violet Ketels Excellence in Teaching Award at Temple University and the WEB Dubois Award for Outstanding Teacher of the Year from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Nwadiora writes fiction, poetry and film, does photography and speaks four languages fluently.

Education

  • LLM, Trial Advocacy, Temple University
  • JD, Law, Hofstra University
  • PhD, African American Studies, Temple University
  • DSW, Clinical Social Work, Howard University
  • MSW, University of Connecticut
  • BA, Psychology, Lyndon State College

Curriculum Vitae 

Courses Taught

Number

Name

Level

SSWG 5007

Deconstructing White Supremacy in Social Work

Graduate

SSWG 8505

Advanced Social Justice: Anti-Oppressive Social Work

Graduate

SSWG 8823

Psychodynamics of Race, Class and Culture

Graduate

SSWU 3003

History and Values of Social Welfare

Undergraduate

SSWU 3004

Social Welfare in the US

Undergraduate

SSWU 3096

Institutional Racism

Undergraduate