Last summer, Dallas trauma surgeon Brian H. Williams, M.D., FACS, found himself thrust into the middle of a national crisis. A peaceful protest about police treatment of African Americans had ended in bloodshed, with 12 officers shot by a lone gunman. Williams led the team that worked to save their lives – and emerged with a new drive to confront violence and racism.
On March 23, he’ll share his story with leaders, scholars and community members from U-M and southeastern Michigan, at a special symposium on violent interactions between law enforcement and black Americans.
The event will take a look at the public health impacts of such interactions -- as well as the historical and current factors that play into it. It’s designed to bring people from many fields together to work toward solutions by joining action teams that will continue their work after the event is over.
RSVPs are now being accepted for the symposium, which will run from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Auditorium of the School of Public Health II building at 1420 Washington Heights. Light refreshments will be served.
The event was organized by Washtenaw County’s Public Health and Sheriff’s departments; U-M’s Department of Internal Medicine, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, School of Public Health, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and Students of Color of Rackham; as well as Eastern Michigan University and My Brother’s Keeper-Washtenaw County.
In addition to Williams, the event will feature a panel of speakers that includes the Washtenaw County sheriff, a former state representative, and a U-M professor and postdoctoral fellow – with a Wayne State University leader acting as moderator.
The event will explore how individuals can advocate for social justice, anti-bias reforms, and community building, how community mobilization be used as a strategy to promote social cohesion and community-level advocacy for safer environments for all, and potential strategies to address the upstream and downstream factors resulting in violent interactions between law enforcement and blacks.
The event is free and open to the public. Community members, students, public policy and health professionals, social scientists, legislators, and law enforcement are especially encouraged to attend.
RSVP at http://bit.ly/SymposiumRSVP