Center on Race and Social Problems

What an incredible discussion we had! Our Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems, Dr. Kyaien Conner, sat down with the Mayor on October 17th for a deep dive into critical topics of equity, justice and civic engagement. Thank you Mayor Ed Gainey for your time and committment to the City of Pittsburgh and for puring into our Pitt community!

A huge shoutout to our partners: Frederick Honors College, Kevin Smith and the Film and Media Studies Program, Celeste Welsh and the Pitt Athletics Department. A special thank you also goes out to our School of Social Work faculty and students that attended and showed their support! Together, we're making a real impact!

Click here to watch the event recording

Check out our feature in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A huge congratulations to our Associate Director at CRSP, Ron Idoko!

The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced longtime Panthers Ron Idoko and Sheila I. Vélez Martínez as recipients of the 2023 ACC UNITE Award. The UNITE award is in place to spotlight individuals associated with the league who have made a lasting impact in the areas of racial and social justice.

Idoko serves as the Associate Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems and Director of Social Innovation in the Frederick Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh. He has played a pivotal role in fostering applied race research, coordinating innovative learning experiences, and cultivating public knowledge and understanding of race and social issues.

Some of Idoko's work includes his development of the "Racial Equity Consciousness Framework" and the accompanying "Racial Equity Consciousness Institute," which has empowered countless individuals to analyze the complexity of racism and reflect on steps to advance racial equity personally and collectively.

Click here to read more!

Dr. James P. Huguley is the chair of the Race and Youth Development Research Group (RaYDR) at the Center on Race and Social Problems and an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

He is also the Principal Investigator for the Just Discipline Project.

"Dr. Huguley created the Just Discipline Project at Pitt with the goal of using restorative justice practices that focus on building relationships to reduce suspension rates and the number of referrals to the principal’s office in Allegheny County schools."

Click below to read more about Dr. Huguley's efforts to curb the use of punitive discpline in schools:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Article

BASW Program Director and Assistant Professor, Dr. Toya Jones, featured Leon Ford on her new podcast: "Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy"

Leon Ford is an author, activist, social entrepreneur, international speaker, and changemaker. He has gone through tragedy to triumph using the power of forgiveness. Leon is committed wholeheartedly to driving positive change in his community and beyond by sharing his unbelievable and life-changing story with others like Good Morning America, Nexus Global Summit, and now, Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy!

Click here to stream the episode!

Social work students (BASW & MSW) began their RECI cohort, facilitated by Gabriel Quinteros, in September 2023 and have been dialoguing with one another working to build their consciousness in racial equity. The students have a unique opportunity to be led by fellow classmates and class leaders.

The institute builds and strengthens the anti-racist commitments and coursework from the SOSW and provides practical models for application. Students learn that talking about racism does not have to be a negative nor threatening experience.

The CRSP team has partnered with the Field Learning Office so that students can receive field hours for their participation in RECI.

About Gabriel:

Gabriel Quinteros is a second-year master’s student in the schools of public health and social work. He joined the CRSP team in November 2022 as their Research and Development Assistant. Gabriel facilitated the first student-led cohort for the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute (RECI) in January 2023 – a space for students by students – and he continues to seek opportunities that bring RECI to his communities of influence. After graduation, Gabriel plans to pursue clinical licensure and community leadership on the macro level.

Everyone appreciates a funny story. Some of us can even tell one. But how do you write one? What makes a written story or essay or sentence or text or tweet funny? What are the rules of writing humor? (And should humor even have rules?) When is a laugh, embedded in an essay, appropriate, and who makes that judgment? And why does the effort to be funny require such vulnerability?

Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker–winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor–will answer these questions and more, during a lively and interactive 60 minute workshop on how to be almost as funny as he is.

Requirements: Please submit something—literally anything—you find funny. The only requirement is that it’s short. Tweet, a text, or a paragraph? Fine! The entire Cheesecake Factory menu? Funny, but not fine.

If you can't join us in person, please join on Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/98700847757

Please make sure to register in advance!

Date: Tuesday, November 7 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Location: Cathedral of Learning, B-50, the Understory

Please join the School of Education for a virtual panel discussion in celebration of 20 years of transformative research, practice, and community partnership at the Center for Urban Education (CUE). Reflect on CUE’s vision and work during this conversation with four impactful leaders:

• T. Elon Dancy II, CUE Executive Director and Chief Research Scientist
• Louis Gomez, Former CUE Director and Professor at UCLA School of Education & Information Studies
• Alan Lesgold, Former Renée and Richard Goldman Dean of the Pitt School of Education
• Rich Milner, Former CUE Director and Chair of Education at Vanderbilt Peabody College

The panel discussion will be held virtually via Zoom. Click here to register.

Looking for a good podcast to listen to during your monring commute? We have two fantasitc podcasts for you to check out!

"Let's Talk Social Innovation" - Hosted by Ian Kehinde

Stream Now!

Episode 6 (ft. Chloe Simpson) - Filmmaking, Music, and Learning from the Past

Episode 7 (ft. Adam Klenovich) - Black Lodge, Post Genre, and Self Trust

Episode 8 (ft. Dayquon Henderson) - HBCU vs PWI, Self Doubt, and Starting Over

Are you passionate about social innovation? Do you believe in the power of positive change? We want YOU to be part of our exciting podcast, "Let's Talk Social Innovation"! We need YOUR help to uncover the unsung heroes among us, those positive changemakers who deserve the spotlight.

Think about the people in your life who are making a real difference, whether it's through community projects, sustainable initiatives, or innovative ideas. Nominate them to be featured on our show!

"Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy" - Hosted by Dr. Toya Jones

Stream Now!

Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy Stress and Trauma Reaction: What's Your Default?

Qiana Buckner - Healing After Childhood Trauma

Dr. Toy will share self-improvement tips to enlighten listeners and viewers with the “Ask a Therapist” segment. Just fill out the quick form by clicking here or email Dr. Toy directly at toyaj@pitt.edu.

*If your question is answered during the podcast, you will win a Starbucks gift card!

Art and advocacy intersect through this soprano opera singer’s performances and scholarship

Pitt’s 4-day film bootcamp helped researchers expand their audience

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