March 23-25 2023, Devin Smith presents on behalf of Ship and Anchor at NC State University's Black Research Symposium, centering the theme "The Power of Community: Afro-Diasporic Worldbuilding and a Sustainable Futurity." The African American Cultural Center and NC State University Libraries teamed up for this first of its kind event on NC State's campus, featuring "Black diasporic learning, scholarship, and epistemologies via cutting-edge research, storytelling, creative works, discussion circles, community-based projects, and industry initiatives from the NC State campus and surrounding community."
Among the guiding principles of the Black Research Symposium is to decenter hierarchical power dynamics, and center lived experiences and stories. "It's crazy thinking back to when I was originally denied readmission to NC State due to felony charges that landed me in prison; now I'm being invited back to share research and game-changing work we're doing...research and work that was birthed from those very same charges and incarceration," shares Smith, an NC State graduate.
The work Devin references is part of Ship and Anchor's latest campaign (an organized set of actions to achieve a set goal), Reimagining America's 3rd World. A core component of this campaign includes the Letters from America's 3rd World series, which includes a podcast and documentary short film. The goal of this campaign is to ultimately transform the criminal legal system and the lives of those directly impacted by it. Make sure you subscribe to the blog for future posts revealing more details regarding the Reimagining America's 3rd World campaign.
Joining Devin for the Black Research Symposium will be Dr. Craig Waleed, also formerly incarcerated, who will provide insights from his research on the impact of emotional intelligence on one's decisions to avoid recidivism after being released. Dr. LaVerne Mattocks-Perry will also contribute to the presentation, providing insights about factors contributing to the school-to-prison pipelines, and available frameworks for disrupting it.
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