Hampton, VA - - "Save the Future: With the Anabolic Family" is the theme of Hampton University's 27th Annual Conference on the Black Family, March 16-18. This year the leading and most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and family will explore strengthening the family's anabolic or repair, rebuild, restore qualities. In conjunction with the general conference, a separate and unique College Summit will explore issues important to today's young adults.
This year, the HU Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications is presenting the conference. Tony Brown, dean of the Scripps Howard School and conference convener, will address the audience during the "Save the Future" general session and at the closing luncheon on March 18, he will present a plan of action for increasing the number of anabolic families.
Other conference speakers include Dr. Thomas Shapiro, chair, Department of Sociology at Brandeis University and author of "The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality." Shapiro will address the racial inequality gap and the transfer of accumulated assets, such as homeownership and other investments, to offspring. As a part of the College Summit, a companion session will address how young adults can save and invest to secure their future.
Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott, the co-director for the Center for Health Disparities Research at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on intervention models for HIV/AIDS, will address the escalating crisis of HIV/AIDS cases in the Black female population or the "new face of AIDS."
In breakout sessions for the general audience, experts such as author Doug Smith and William R. Harvey Leadership Institute Director Bettye Simmons will address the anabolic character ethic of "service to others." Pulitzer Prize winner and syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts is the featured speaker for a session which asks, "Should we challenge the culture of our sons?"
Another session on the new face of healthcare that elevates the role of the pharmacist and the nurse will be presented through the perspectives of New York community pharmacist Ivan Jourdain, R.Ph., and Dr. Constance Hendricks, dean, HU School of Nursing.
The Anabolic College Summit will feature Cory Murray, arts and entertainment editor for Essence magazine. She will explain the magazine's "Take Back the Music" campaign that examines the imbalance in the depiction of female sexuality and character in music.
Joining Murray is Akil Kennedy, who will discuss his published research from the Journal of Hip-Hop, which he co-founded. An additional session on education will explore the academic achievement disparities between Black and White students, and a panel of prominent African-American males will discuss strategies to counteract negative influences prevalent in the culture of Black men.
Sessions will be moderated by HU journalism professors Earl Caldwell, Pitts, Smith, and Jack White, the first Black columnist at Time magazine. Friday, these media professionals also will explore the topic: "Media and the Black Family - Since the Kerner Commission Report."
Pre-registration by March 1 includes a free hardback copy of "What Mama Taught Me" by Tony Brown. Pre-registration is $25 for the general public; $10 for HU faculty and staff; and free for college students with valid ID. On-site registration is $50 for the general public; $15 for HU faculty and staff; and $5 for college students with valid ID. Cost for the closing luncheon is $20 per person.
