Access the Recording below.
What happens when teachers, law enforcement, and other adults in positions of authority are less protective and more punitive with certain kids? Recent research has uncovered an "Adultification Bias" against Black girls, who are viewed as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers. Natural Black hair and fashion continue to be . Even Black preschoolers are at shockingly high rates. In her new book, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, Professor Kristin Henning points to America's manufactured and irrational fear of Black youth and institutional mechanisms that criminalize normal adolescent behavior among Black youth.
Hennig has represented Black children in Washington, D.C.'s juvenile courts for twenty-five years. During her tenure, she has seen, tried, or supervised the trial of almost every offense in the juvenile code. She is now the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law. She supervises law students and represents youth accused of delinquency in the D.C. Superior Court. From 2017-2020, Professor Henning served as the Law Schools Associate Dean for Clinics and Experiential Learning.
After the forum, a book signing with the author will be available. A Cultural Exchange, a nonprofit multicultural arts and literacy project, will be on-site for book sales.
*The Schubert Center for Child Studies is a Community Partner for this event.