Brotha Kyle "KD" Toon, MSW, CFSW
Husband & Father
Arocentric Social Worker-Scholar
Writer | Thinker
Speaker | Facilitator
Professor | Illuminator of Self-Knowledge
“Shifting the paradigm from silence, suppression, compliance, and complicity to unmitigated, self-defined language, expression, and action.”
The Biography of Brotha KD Toon, MSW, CFSW
Brotha Kyle Toon, kinshiply known as Brotha KD, is an African descendant, matrilineally rooted in the Bioko Islands, New Guinea, and patrilineally rooted in Barbados and Nigeria. Brotha KD was born and raised in rural Southern Maryland by a revolutionary-loving village which consists of Grandma Toon, the matriarch, a single Mother, one older brother, and a younger sister, uncles and aunties, a host of first cousins, extended kin from Whiteville NC, church familymembers, friends of the family, schoolteachers, and kinship relations built through the neighborhood and the St. Mary’s County public school system. The African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” reflects the lived experiences of growing up in an environment that centers family unity, community togetherness, and social cohesion for basic needs, hugs and comfort, a hot meal, a good talkin’ to, a life lesson, and everything in between. Southern Maryland and the Toon family taught me the importance of community-focused values, even amid chaos, disorder, strife, and trauma.
Married with three beautiful children, Brotha KD champions embracing the micro-moments of emotional connection, physical touch, intimacy, deep listening, laughing and dancing, and silence that shapes the infrastructure for a deep appreciation of the principle of life and the fortifications of Black joy.
After almost 14 years of military service in the United States Army as a Chief Warrant Officer, Brotha KD, with the support of Ahjanae, wife and soulmate, is entering into a new chapter of living, being, relating, and becoming. In 2021, Brotha KD transitioned from military intelligence, where he used skills of manipulation and persuasion on indigenous peoples abroad, to Afrocentric social work, which blends research, study, writing, teaching, presenting, and immersive relational activities on African world history, Afrocentric thought, ancestral wisdom, and cultural knowledge. As a Western-trained master of social work, the “Afrocentric” label is not a reactionary response to Eurocentric ideologies and philosophical assumptions. It is a return to the source of ancestral knowing, remembering that African people world over laid the foundations for the most ancient civilizations, and developed the spiritual systems, sciences, and arts that flowed from the Nile, Niger, Zambezi, Tigris-Euphrates, Ethiopian empire, to the Caribbean, Americas, the islands of the Indian Ocean, which retains their African cultural origns and through innovation contribute to the tapestry of being, knowing, and relating that exists today.
Today, Brotha KD is known and respected for his liberatory approach to community healing, group cohesion, social transformation, and the cultivation of cultural and social consciousness in the wake of a paradigm shift from compliance, complicity, and silence to unmitigated, self-defined rootedness in language, expression, and action. Through transformative speaking engagements, facilitation activities, presentations, and other means, Brotha KD will enthusiastically help usher in the 21st century the restoration, reclamation, reascension, and revitalization of self-knowledge, personhood, and optimal mental health. Whether facilitating group work on the invisible wounds of trauma and systemic injustices along with multigenerational Black adults, delivering a presentation on liberation-rooted, healing-centered strategies at conferences, consulting on preventative mental health program strategies along with Nigerian and Tanzanian mental health organizations, or writing mental health content for a woman-owned wellness magazine, revolutionary love enters the space with grace and humility.
Inspiration from African cultural heritage informing the work of liberation social work (not an exhaustive list - just a few):
1. Brotha Amos Wilson, Psychologist
2. Naim Akbar, Psychologist
3. Marimba Ani, Anthropologist
4. Wade Nobles, Psychologist
5. Toni Morrison, Writer
6. Audrey Lorde, Feminist Writer
7. Anglea Davis, Educator
8. Nile Valley Civilizations
9. The Harlem Renaissance
10. Black Panther Party & Black Power Concept
11. Malik El Hajj Shabazz (Malcolm X)
12. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
13. Martin Delaney
14. Kwame Ture, Black Power Leader
15. Chancellor Williams, Historian
16. Cheik Anta Diop, Multidisciplinary Genius
17. Asa Hillard, Psychologist
18. Kobi Kambon, Psychologist
19. Jacob Carruthers, Educator & Scholar
20. The Honorable Marcus Garvey
Afrocentric. Intellecutal Heritage. Timeless Wisdom.
Afrocentric. Intellecutal Heritage. Timeless Wisdom.
“Power is the ability to define reality and to have others respond to your definition as if it were your own and that the most important reality to define is the meaning of one’s own human beingness.”
“The way to right wrongs is to turn light of truth upon them.”
“Racism is a global system of oppression that affects all human activities due to fear of White genetic annihilation.”
“A Person is A Person through their relationships with other People. ”
“We must understand the tremendous value of the study of history for the re-gaining of power. If our education is not about gaining real power, we are being miseducated and misled and we will die “educated” and misled.”
“When Africans in the Americas and the world over choose to critically examine the ‘received’ ideas and biased perceptions of ‘reality’ imposed on them by Europeans and choose to know reality for what it is…they will have attained the keys to their liberation.”
Brotha KD in Action
Testimonials
Brotha KD extends warmth, attunement, unconditional holistic regard, and sincere compassion at the intersection of historical context, intergenerational & cultural trauma, psychosocial & spiritual wellness, and social and cultural consciousness. Brotha KD champions self and collective liberation through interactive-group, communal healing processes - improving self-knowledge, cultural worldview, and self-determining expressiveness for Black, African, and African diasporans.
Publisher & Librarian, Jessica Tingling
“Kyle Toon is a thought-provoking author bringing an array of experiences and perspectives to the conversation. His work is timely and inspiring in a world filled with chaos. His work engages the reader and calls for, at the very least, reflection, appreciation, and acceptance. Through his words, readers will discover deeper truths about themselves and the surrounding world. His work will only become more prolific over time. What an exceptional collection of work to revisit again and again.”
Group Participant of NAMI-CO Sharing Hope Support Program for People of African Ancestry, Felicia A.
“What stood out profoundly was Kyle's attentive listening. By thoughtfully repeating my words, he made me feel truly heard and validated, fostering a sense of being seen and understood. His ability to cultivate such a positive and secure space is a testament to his compassionate facilitation.
I wholeheartedly recommend Brother Kyle to anyone seeking a meaningful and enriching group experience. His sessions are a sanctuary for the soul, offering clarity, connection, and a renewed sense of self.”
Life After Abuse - Nonprofit in Lagos, Nigeria, Halima Layeni
“Kyle Toon was an exceptional facilitator on our webinar. He shared valuable expertise on mental health, weaving in relatable stories that resonated deeply with our audience. He created a safe and supportive space for open discussion, communicated complex topics in an engaging way and made the webinar a huge success. His insights left a lasting, positive impact on our attendees. I highly recommend Kyle and look forward to the possibility of working with him again in the future.”
New York-Based Mental Health Advocate, Author, Filmmaker, Mark Tuggle
“Kyle is a Black-affirming, culturally progressive, and self-determining individual with compassion, empathy and kindness for clients and colleagues. We shared a meaningful dialogue with like-minded souls on a taboo subject from a unique, racialized lens.”
Founder & Editor of Helpful Living Magazine, Jamie Rockymore-Bess
“Kyle Toon has a way with words when it comes to bringing awareness. His input on identifying historical challenges and how they can succumb to one's well being is a discussion worth reading. His enlightenment on directions and next steps is brilliant and we need more writers like him when it comes to being vocal about mental health. Toon’s impact goes unnoticed and will [eventually] cause a domino effect, which is something we need in this society.”
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Department of Social Work, Clinical Assistant Professor, Zean Dunbar, PhD
“Kyle is someone who can see the forest and the trees, without losing sight of the interrelated nature of the individual as well as the broader ecosystems. Kyle’s astute and thoughtful demeanor is an asset in any professional environment. He is a prolific writer and does work both domestically and internationally focused on liberatory social work practices. Kyle is forging his own lane, and is able to collaborate with others. That ability to be self-driven while also remaining dexterous and willing to work across differences is a skill that is critical as a social worker.”
National Alliance on Mental Illness - Colorado Springs, Emily Brady, LCSW
“What sets Kyle apart is not only his skill, but the heart with which he approaches every interaction. Kyle demonstrates a level of competence and expertise when it comes to applying culturally relevant, trauma-informed, and mental health knowledge to his work. He brings humility, resilience, and a sense of hope that is contagious to those around him.”