Today, February 21st, 2024 at 5 p.m. in Corey Union 301-303, Dr. Marcus Bell spoke about the research he did when studying the topic and also spoke about his personal background and what it was like for him growing up. During Dr. Marcus Bell’s presentation, he talked about two past events in his childhood that stood out to me because, one he was so young and another reason is because the loss of humans that young would be so traumatized. In the first situation, he talks about he tells us how his brother and he were walking back home after running to the corner store to get a snack and a man came up to them with a gun and told them to give him everything they had. While that was happening all he could think of was fearing for his life and wanting to call for his dad at that time. I feel that any child in this situation would be terrified for their lives and would want their parents and this event would stick with someone for a long time. Another event he encountered was one time Dr. Bell and his two brothers were waiting for the bus and his brother had a fake gun that had fallen out of his brothers’ bag they didn’t think anything of it because they knew the gun was fake, but the bus driver didn’t know that and she had called the cops and when the boys looked out the window they saw guns surrounding the bus with their guns out pointed at them. At a young age, the boys didn’t know that it was such a big deal to carry a gun on them whether it was fake or not that there could be major outcomes. Dr. Bell took a minute to think and said to himself that in just the span of 2 years, his parents could have lost their 4 sons due to these events occurring. The first event shows being under-protected because there was no cop around to help the two young boys who were being robbed at gunpoint, and the second event shows being over-policed because the police didn’t stop to ask questions they just automatically pulled out their weapons. Which shows they automatically were ready to shoot first and ask questions later. The number one leading cause of death for African American men ages 15 – 24 years of age is homicide because, In communities where the illegal drug trade is prevalent, violence related to turf wars, disputes over drug territory, and retaliation can drive homicide rates. The criminalization of drug offenses and the resulting enforcement efforts can also contribute to violence and conflict within communities. Conflicts between law enforcement and African American communities, including experiences of racial profiling, excessive use of force, and lack of trust in the justice system, can exacerbate feelings of marginalization and alienation. In some cases, strained police-community relations may undermine efforts to address and prevent violent crime. These are two of many reasons why young African American men die between 15 – 24 years of age.
Intro to African American Literature
Spring 2024 | SUNY Cortland
