Over-policing of Black girls focus of next Conversations on Race and Policing on Oct. 14

The over-policing of Black girls in schools will be the next Conversations on Race and Policing presentation at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, presented by Cal State San Bernardino’s John M. Pfau Library.

“Over-Policing of Black Girls in Schools: From Zero Tolerance to Restorative Practices,” will take place virtually and can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://csusb.zoom.us/j/97960458784.

“Black girls and Black women continue to be inequitably ‘over-policed’ in schools and in our educational institutions,” said Angela Clark Louque, CSUSB professor of educational leadership and one of the panelists for the Oct. 14 presentation. “Inequitable disciplinary practices occur because racist, systemic policies are allowed to exist. We must, as educators, be open and learn to partner with Black parents and families. Black girls continue to experience disproportionate discipline more than any other group.”

This will be the 20th event in the series that began in June. 

Panelists for the Oct. 14 conversation will be: 

• Louque, co-author of the recently acclaimed book, “Equity Partnerships: A Culturally Proficient Guide to Family, School, and Community Engagement” (Corwin Press, 2020). Her research focuses on anti-racist and equity leadership to dismantle racist and exclusionary policies and practices, such as zero tolerance, that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.    
• Shelley Holt, founder and CEO of Leadership Legacy Consulting, LLC and Family Legacy 5, a nonprofit focused on eliminating pipelines to prison and poverty by creating pipelines to career and life success for traditionally underserved, depressed and oppressed populations. As a former superintendent, she serves as a racial and educational anthropologist in anti-racist leadership development.
• Felicia Jones, associate director and chief strategist with Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), a grassroots community group that develops and organizes leaders to “revitalize the communities in which they live, work, and worship” through systemic change. She has worked extensively in education reform, guiding policies to expand the role of parents and community in education policy making, advocating for resource equity for Black student achievement, and supporting local and statewide campaigns for school discipline reform.
• Talisa Sullivan, founder, CEO and lead consultant for Transformational Leadership Consulting (TLC) Services. Her experiences include serving as a school administrator in the Inland Empire, using Restorative Practices as an equitable disciplinary practice. She is an equity leader and the creator of Q10 Equity Framework.   

Conversations on Race and Policing began in the aftermath of the May 25 death of George Floyd while in the custody of four Minneapolis, Minn., police officers. A video of the incident posted on social media has led to widespread protests, the firing of four police officers, the arrest of one officer on a second-degree murder charge, the other three on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder – and a spotlight worldwide on race and policing.

Previous forums also are posted online (more recordings will soon be available for viewing) on the CSUSB History Club Lecture Series YouTube channel:  

• “Race and Policing, A Panel Presentation and CSUSB Campus Conversation” on June 3; 
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (2), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion” on June 10;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (3), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion” on June 17;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (4), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion” on June 24;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (5), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion” on July 1;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (6), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion” on July 8;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (7), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on July 15;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (8), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on July 22;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (9), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on July 29;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (10), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on Aug. 5, which discusses in detail what “defunding” and “abolishing” police mean, beyond the political rhetoric, with Alex S. Vitale, author and professor of sociology at Brooklyn College, coordinator of the college’s Policing and Social Justice Project, and author of “The End of Policing; ”
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (11), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on Aug. 12;
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (12), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on Aug. 19, and
• “Conversations on Race and Policing (13), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” on Aug. 26.

On June 16 the College of Arts and Letters presented “Structural Racism, Civil Disobedience, and the Road to Racial Justice in the Age of COVID-19,” which is also posted on YouTube.

The university’s June 9 memorial for Floyd also focused on the Black Lives Matter movement.

And, related to the university’s conversations series, Netflix is making the 2016 Ava DuVernay film, “13th,” available for free on its YouTube channel. Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay’s examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.

The ongoing Conversations on Race and Policing series is hosted by CSUSB students Marlo Brooks and Yvette Relles-Powell.

The series is organized by Brooks and Relles-Powell, CSUSB faculty members Mary Texeira (sociology) and Jeremy Murray (history), Robie Madrigal, public affairs/communication specialist for the CSUSB John M. Pfau Library, and community member Stan Futch, president of the Westside Action Group.  

For more information, contact Robie Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Jeremy Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.