Event description
The intersection of race and class in the lives of African American males is the topic of intense debates, extensive research, and speculation as to what will create long-term resiliency. Not until recently have the lives of black girls begun to receive national attention. The current presidential focus on black men has created a demand for the inclusion of black girls and black women from academics, activists, and engaged citizens.
The Department of African and African American Studies is proactively responding to the need for dialogue. The Symposium, Black Girls: The Silent Crisis, will be held on September 12-13, 2014 at the AAAS Community Extension Center located at 905 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Columbus. The Symposium begins on September 12th at 9:00 a.m. This Symposium is focused on trauma and resiliency in black girls and the role of black fatherhood and black men on the identity formation of black girls. The Symposium is a partnership with Rise Sister Rise, a local women's organization whose work is based on the groundbreaking study of the same name of 409 African American girls in four Ohio cities.
It is open to scholars, students, and Columbus community members who are interested in race and culture, gender studies, issues and challenges related to the economic, educational, social, mental and physical health of young girls and teens, as well as the role of the criminal justice system in the lives of black girls and their families.
The Symposium has received grant funding from the College of Arts and Sciences, Criminal Justice Research Center, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
In recent years, the violent crime rate has dropped to near record lows. At the same time, there has been an explosion in the number of private citizens who obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm in public. There are now nearly eight million people with concealed carry permits nation-wide, and yet little is known about how they think about crime, threat, and self-defense. An analysis of in-depth interviews with 36 concealed handgun license holders in Texas suggests that while concealed-carry instructors explain threat in ostensibly race-neutral, colorblind language, license holders themselves utilize racialized and classed understandings of crime as they navigate public spaces. As this research makes clear, the way that license holders think about crime and victimization, including differences in how men and women explain threat, is a critical component in understanding the social implications of an armed citizenry.
