Race Adolescence and Trauma Webinar
Tuesday, June 22nd at noon
Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities, LULAC, NAACP, OHF-QCA, PACG and UUCQC
Addressing the crisis of unequal treatment for our youth
Race, Adolescence and Trauma webinar
Research has shown that Black, brown and other children of color who experience racial bias also suffer high rates of fear, anxiety and depression. Additionally, police encounters with youth can increase crime instead of reduce it.
Racial bias-induced trauma can include:
- Being followed in a store by managers because of their color.
- Living in communities and going to schools that are highly surveilled by police.
- Experiencing frequent police stops and possible frisking.
- And watching news reports or online coverage of Black adults and youth being shot and killed by police officers.
These repeated situations sometimes end up in altercations with police, resulting in incarceration or split-second decisions that can be deadly. What can be done to transform and/or avoid these scenarios altogether?
The Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities, with the help of other community organizations, is sponsoring a free online webinar, Race, Adolescence and Trauma, at noon Tuesday, June 22.
The webinar will feature Kristin Henning, J.D., LL.M., Blume Professor of Law and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C. Professor Henning has written extensively about race, adolescence and policing. Her work has appeared in numerous journals and books, and she also is the author of the forthcoming book, “The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.”
A recipient of numerous prestigious national awards, Professor Henning has trained many people across the country on the nature and scope of racial bias and how it operates in the juvenile and criminal legal systems. She also has worked closely with the McArthur Foundation’s Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network to develop a national training curriculum for juvenile defenders. Last year, she launched Ambassadors for Racial Justice, a year-long program for defenders committed to challenging racial inequities in the juvenile legal system.
“Children today are facing unprecedented trauma from the pandemic, racial tensions in our country, and disruptions in their learning and daily activities. As the community thinks about public safety and the well-being of youth, it is important that we talk about the intersection of race, adolescence and trauma,” Professor Henning says.
Michael Guster, president of Davenport NAACP and a member of the Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities, agrees.
“Our community must remain vigilant and steadfast in our effort to save our youth. We must have more community involvement with mentorship, program activities, early intervention and jobs. I am excited and confident this workshop will help us take action to move from incarceration of our youth to restorative practices,” he says.
Margie Mejia-Caraballo, chair of the Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities and vice president of Progressive Action for the Common Good, explains, “Currently, juvenile justice systems rely on costly incarceration and probation. There are disparities between children of color and their white counterparts. We have seen poor outcomes, high recidivism and little or no inclusion of victims. Restorative justice seeks to understand and repair the harm that has been done, specifically to the victim. We are excited about Professor Henning’s presentation regarding these issues and look forward to community participation.”
Rev. Richard Hendricks, co-founder of One Human Family QCA, says now is the time to bring the issue of race, children and trauma to the forefront and address it head-on.
“A 2020 study conducted by researchers at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C., which evaluated the use of force by police against children, found that Black and Hispanic adolescents are significantly more likely to die from shootings related to police intervention compared with non-Hispanic white adolescents. And between 2003 and 2018, about 93 percent of children who were killed were boys. It is time for our nation to stop criminalizing minority adolescent behavior. We do not need more juvenile jail capacity but more youth programming and training. This workshop can help us understand and move toward a restorative justice model for all our youth,” he says.
The Juvenile Justice Coalition of the Quad Cities and the following organizations are sponsoring this event: LULAC Council 10, Davenport NAACP, One Human Family QCA, Progressive Action for the Common Good and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities.
Learn more about this issue and how to make positive change in the community.
Registration is required for this free webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u2vrnNX3REW-ZLpyt29xew
For questions, contact Michael Guster at 563-343-7655. Download a flyer below.
Attendees also are invited to take part in a follow-up meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, to start working on neededlocal changes.
Mike Guster
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