Join Word In Black on Thursday, March 23, at 3 p.m. PT/ 6 p.m. ET for a virtual community forum exploring our recent series “Lost Innocence: The Adultification of Black Children.”
Published in collaboration with the University of Southern California’s Center for Health Journalism, the series explains why Black children experience more adultification than non-Black children, how this adultification shows up in adulthood, and outlines the ways that parents and teachers can put a stop to it.
Bringing together a combination of both expert and community sources, this is the first series on this topic of its kind to hit the press.
The town hall will be led by Word In Black’s health data journalist Anissa Durham.
Panelists include:
- Bahia Overton, executive director of Black Parent Initiative
- Terri Watson, associate professor of educational leadership at the City College of New York
- Amir Gilmore, assistant professor of cultural studies and social thought in education at Washington State University
- Shamari White, communications associate and advocate
- Megan Freeland, director of health communications for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
- Ashanti Branch, founder and executive director of Ever Forward Club.
Register for the town hall Zoom link here or tune in on the Word In Black Facebook page.
Lost Innocence: The Adultification of Black Children
- Black Children Deserve to Be Children — Black girls are called “fast,” and boys are seen as men. Both lose their innocence thanks to adultification bias.
- Life and Death: When Police Criminalize Young Black Men — In and out of schools, Black youth fear for their lives. And, for one teen in California, that fear comes every time he gets in his car.
- If Parents Don’t Protect Their Kids From Abuse, Who Will? — 1 in 4 Black girls will be sexually abused before age 18. When the women we spoke to told their parents, they weren’t protected.
- Why Do We View Black Girls as Sex Objects? — Black girls are so often viewed as sex objects that the blame is shifted to the girls being sexualized instead of the adults.
- What You Should Know About Adultification Bias — Explainer: A reader’s guide to what adultification bias is, how it shapes the lives of Black children, and why this stereotype of Black childhood needs to change.
- Listen: In Their Words, Black Folks Talk Adultification Bias — Hear the brave voices of those who went on the record about their experiences being criminalized and sexualized.
- Reporter’s Notebook: The Uncomfortable Truths I Uncovered About Black Childhood— Anissa spent months talking with Black folks for her series, “Lost Innocence: The Adultification of Black Children.” Here’s what she learned.
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