PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (April 30, 2021) – This month, nearly 100 participants gathered for the Annual Royce West Forum and Virtual Lecture Series hosted by Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). The virtual discussion focused on transforming families and communities across generations.
James Bell, W. Haywood Burns Institute
Since 2007, the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center (TJCPC) at PVAMU has worked in close partnership with Senator Royce West (D-Dallas) and his team to host panel discussions on topics relating to juvenile justice in America. This year, panelists addressed historical trauma and its impact on families over the last several decades and efforts currently underway to help communities.
James Bell, founding president of the W. Haywood Burns Institute in Oakland, California, served as the keynote speaker for the event. Bell addressed the cross-generational impact of trauma – noting the legacy of trauma in society, understanding its purpose and practicing radical imagination to alleviate it. From citing the nation’s foundation and beginnings of inequity, to exposing how the COVID-19 pandemic and events involving George Floyd and Amy Cooper continue to illustrate inequity – Bell called for innovative advocacy, community-centered initiatives and a reduction in the dependency on law enforcement to solve the majority of societal problems.
“We need to be creative in order to change the balance of power,” said Bell. “Decisions about the keeper and the kept, the servers and the served and those who will suffer abuse, and those who will be protected from harm – all need to be transformed.”
Farrah Gafford Cambrice, Prairie View A&M University
Following Bell’s remarks, Drs. Farrah Gafford Cambrice, associate professor of sociology at PVAMU, and Tamika Baldwin-Clark, assistant professor of social work at PVAMU, as well as Drs. Jamie Freeny, director of the Center for School Behavioral Health in Houston, and Zoe Spencer, professor of sociology at Virginia State University, addressed questions on the issue of trauma.
The panel of experts explored how to stop the cumulative effects of historical trauma, which results from racism and discrimination, from being passed down to generations. They also addressed the role of educators and ways to have larger conversations on these issues.
“We live in a culture of silence about our wounds,” said Cambrice. “It’s painful to talk about our wounds and even more so when we believe we’re the only ones who carry the heartache.”
Cambrice suggested turning to storytelling in families and communities as a solution. Other panelists suggested teaching history to youth and changing discussions at home.
“We need to find different ways to make our history interesting to our youth,” said Baldwin-Clark. “And engage with them on these important issues.”
The panelists also suggested working with policymakers to change the K-12 curriculum, hiring teachers that reflect the diversity of classrooms and revisiting standard codes of conduct in K-12 schools to ensure they do not oppress certain groups.
To watch the full 2021 Royce West Forum and Virtual Lecture Series, click here: https://pvpanther.zoom.us/rec/share/enIsJPmsWa6BOV4QOQL9Vymy_gTLnHtnda-1Ihv3jqw8YkLlAtczb5i8XfIJ41hf.6HOLVMTbSGEtY_OK
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