Public forum and call to action on community justice issues Oct. 27 in Auburn
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A public forum on "Bridging the Divide: Juvenile Justice and the Community" will be held Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Harris Center, at 425 Perry St. in Auburn.
Individuals, community-based organizations and public service agency professionals will have an opportunity to share information and views on issues relating to juvenile justice and community building and to respond to the question: How can we help youth see their role and responsibility in building a safer and more civil community?
Robert Franklin, author of "Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope in African American Communities," will facilitate the forum. Franklin is the James T. and Berta R. Laney Chair in Moral Leadership at Emory University's Candler School of Theology and director of the Religion Department of the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. He is president emeritus of Morehouse College, where he served as its 10th president from 2007 through 2012. Franklin provides first-person advice and insight as he identifies the crises that exist within three anchor institutions that have played key roles in the black struggle for civic agency and liberation.
The agenda will include a panel discussion to highlight the ongoing efforts of local institutions and individuals: Laura Cooper, executive director of the Lee County Youth Development Center; Rebecca Johnson, assistant director for Montgomery County Community Corrections; the Rev. Clifford Jones, pastor of Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church; Tiffany Gordon-Pitts, founder of Girl Steps Inc.; and Nolan Torbert Sr., pastor of True Deliverance Holiness Church.
A "call for action" will identify opportunities for participating in neighborhood restorative circles, personal mentoring, community-based mentoring, one to one relationships and more.
Local sponsors for the forum include the Auburn University Office of Access and Community Initiatives, a unit of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and the East Central Alabama Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.
More details about Franklin's background can be found at this link: http://robertmfranklin.com/about.html
Media interested in this story can contact Communications Director Preston Sparks at (334) 844-9999 or preston.sparks@auburn.edu.
Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.
