The authors of “Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice” will be the guest speakers at the next Conversations on Race and Policing, set for noon on Friday, May 3.
The program, open to the public, will take place on Zoom and can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://tinyurl.com/csusb-race-policing.
Rebecca Lubas, dean of the CSUSB Libraries, will host the discussion with with the authors, Marianne Celano of Emory University, Marietta Collins of the Morehouse School of Medicine, and Ann Hazard, a psychologist and author.
From the book’s website: “‘Something Happened in Our Town’ follows two families – one White, one Black – as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children's questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives.”
The Conversations on Race and Policing program began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering extensive protests, demands for systemic reform in policing, and profound dialogues on race and racism. This also led to the inception of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.
In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death were given prison sentences.
The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.
More than 100 forums have taken place since, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive.
The program is sponsored by the CSUSB College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, CSUSB Libraries, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
The series is organized by Matt Patino (CSUSB alumnus and adjunct faculty member at Crafton Hills College); CSUSB faculty members Mary Texeira (sociology) and Jeremy Murray (history); Robie Madrigal, public affairs/communication specialist for the CSUSB John M. Pfau Library; Michael German, fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice; and community member Stan Futch, president of the Westside Action Group.
For more information, contact Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.
Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.