Join us on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 2:00 PM for our second annual Black History Month celebration of Black Mental Health and Well-Being. Our distinguished guests include Dr. Marvin Dunn, one of Miami-Dade County’s most eminent historians, and the esteemed Dr. Dionne Stephens of FIU’s Department of Psychology. Throughout the program, we will discuss Liberty City’s history, the history of Black mental health, and strategies for addressing some of our community’s most pressing issues regarding mental health and well-being.
As a result of the ongoing pandemic, this event will take place through Zoom. However, do not fear; we will continue to show up and show out! Our event includes performances from Mr. Angel Refusé (classical singer, lecturer and concert curator) and a meditation session from Ms. LaCriscia Fowlkes.
Zoom ID: 305 230 4598
Password: AY
About Dr. Marvin Dunn
A former naval officer, Marvin Dunn is a Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology at Florida International University, retiring as chairperson of the department in 2006. He has published numerous articles in leading newspapers on race and ethnic relations including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Orlando Sentinel and the Miami Herald. He is the author of the following books: The History of Florida: Through Black Eyes, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2016), Black Miami in the Twentieth Century, University Press of Florida (1997). He is the coauthor of This Land is Our Land, California: University of California Press. (2003) and The Miami Riot of 1980: Crossing the Bounds, Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath (1984).
He has produced three documentary films including, “Rosewood Uncovered,” documenting the Rosewood Massacre of 1923, “Murder on the Suwanee: The Willie James Howard Story,” the story of the lynching of a fifteen year old black child in Live Oak, Florida in 1944 and “Black Seminoles in the Bahamas: The Red Bays story” which documents the flight of slaves from Florida escaping to the Bahama Islands in the 1800s and “The Black Miami” based upon his book, Black Miami in the Twentieth Century. He was born and raised in Florida and currently lives in Miami, Florida.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Dunn and other community advocates for racial justice founded the Miami Center for Racial Justice. According to Dunn, “ The Miami Center for Racial Justice will be a beacon in our community. We seek to foster a safe space for dialogue on racial issues, to promote unity, and allow for frank confrontation of the history of racial terror through the examination and preservation of stories of racial terror in Florida.”
To learn more about Dr. Dunn, click here.
About Dr. Dionne Stephens
Dr. Dionne Stephens’ is a Researcher and Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University. Her research examines socio-historical factors shaping minority populations’ sexual scripting and sexual health processes, with emphasis on gender and ethnic/ racial identity development. Her research is conducted through the Heath Disparities and Cultural Identities Lab. With an ultimate goal of reducing health disparities, her research specifically examines diverse cultural beliefs’ influence on intimate relationships and sexual health decision making in marginalized populations.
A key goal of Dr. Stephens’ work is to identify factors that can help prevent continued health disparities, particularly within understudied and marginalized communities. Her recent study outcomes highlight the importance of gender and racial/ethnic identity, familial processes, and media influences on behavioral outcomes. These studies fall under three broad research foci: Health Disparities, Identity Development, and Culture.
Dr. Stephens’ publication record reflects the development of concepts and the path to her current thinking about the ways in which cultural beliefs and expectations influence health disparities, identity development, and popular culture frameworks. To read more about her, click here.
Facebook: Affirming YOUth Foundation, Inc.
Instagram: @affirmingyouth
Twitter: @Affirming_YOUth