Timothy Noble Jennings-Bey talked about how to change attitudes and perceptions during Wednesday’s Conversations in Conflict Studies event.
During a lunchtime lecture at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Timothy Noble Jennings-Bey and Arnett Haygood-El described the workings of their organization, Street Addition Institute, Inc. The SAII could be described as a combination think tank/social service organization committed to bridging generational divides by rehabilitating individuals and families who suffer from trauma such as gun violence being confined to historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The presentation provided vital statistics and showed how violent trauma often breeds fear in those living within the affected areas and neglect from public institutions. One graph showed an interesting relationship between gun fire in neighborhoods and school disciplinary practices, and how a ADD diagnosis may actually be a form PTSD in some cases.
Jennings-Bey recognized these problems are not new (many like housing segregation are the result of public policy), but SAII’s goal is to identify those affected, and help provide solutions from a grass-roots perspective.