Prairie View A&M University News March 11, 2021 Three PVAMU faculty publish book exploring societal injustices affecting Black, Brown Americans Gaining fresh insights into the inequalities affecting Black and Brown communities across the U.S. has never been more vital. Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) faculty are answering that call with the recent publication of a book. "Contemporary Debates in Social Justice: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Exploring the Lives of Black and Brown Americans<https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/contemporary-debates-social-justice-interdisciplinary-approach-exploring-lives-black-and>" is a collection of essays, studies, and interviews from scholars, activists, and other leaders addressing social injustice. In addition to contributions from eight PVAMU faculty members, the book is edited by Farrah Gafford Cambrice, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology; William T. Hoston Sr., Ph.D., associate dean and professor of political science; and Marco T. Robinson, Ph.D., assistant professor of history. "Many of the contributors-myself included-discuss racial justice in our research and our classrooms," Cambrice said. "Our students often ask, 'How can I use my degree to make a difference?' I want our undergraduate readers to come away with the understanding that there is a way to infuse social justice into their professional careers. Debates on social inequities warrant multiple perspectives and critical thinking." Cambrice, who served as the chief editor for the book, said her experiences and work with students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) over the last 14 years served as the primary inspiration for the book's genesis. The deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, and George Floyd underlined the grave importance of starting and maintaining conversations around social justice. "I am very excited to bring this project to fruition primarily because my work at HBCUs has been the catalyst for this project. My students and their desire to seek social justice really made this book a possibility," Cambrice said. Research-based Findings From its first page, the book shines a bright light on the landscape of inequality faced by Black and Brown communities using unambiguous research points: * Black and Brown American communities are overrepresented in some of the lowest-paying jobs; * Segregated communities are linked to disproportionate numbers of diseases and illnesses-especially COVID-19. * Black and Brown American communities face gentrification that leads to the erasure of local histories. * The need for police reform is a critical issue facing the Black community. "Historically, due mainly to discriminatory public policies and the impact of segregation, Black and Brown Americans were relegated to experiencing second class citizenship. During the early to mid-1900s, a close analysis of the political, economic, and social arenas reveals Black and Brown Americans struggled to realize the American dream because of systemic racism. Thus, the Black and Latinx communities in the United States disproportionately experienced high levels of poverty, environmental racism, and health-related issues. The current COVID-19 pandemic illuminates these issues still persist," Robinson said. "The most pressing challenge facing the human race in the twenty-first century is ensuring social justice for all regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sex, religion, or class. This edited volume is our solemn attempt to raise awareness and call our nation to action." A Timely Release As the trio edited the book, breaking news reports continued to shape the scope and content of the collection. "We could not get through a week [last] spring and summer without something happening," Cambrice said. "COVID-19, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd were the headline stories as we worked on the book. It was extremely stressful, as scholars of color, but the events were clear indicators that we were on the right track." "The book is timely and a reflection of all the things going on in the news cycle," Hoston added. The Breonna Taylor case, Cambrice added, especially influenced the outcome before publication. Even as the book neared completion, she realized more attention should be paid to the plight of Black women. "I knew that if we excluded a discussion on police violence against Black women, we would be part of the problem," she said. So, Cambrice reached out to Sydney McKinney from the National Black Women's Justice Institute to discuss ways to eliminate racial and gender disparities in the criminal justice system. "The interview with Dr. McKinney is one of four interviews I conducted with social justice activists," Cambrice said. "Dr. McKinney was able to speak extensively about the systematic gaps in policy and data that perpetuate racial and gender injustices in the U.S. Criminal Justice System. She believes wholeheartedly, as do I, that we need to expand the framework we use to examine and make sense of racial oppression." Multi-discipline in Nature Collaborating on such a significant collection of timely social-justice issues took a focused process of collaboration, with back-and-forth and conversation among the faculty members. "It was wonderful collaborating with my colleagues," Hoston said. "As an editor, it was refreshing to be able to pool our thoughts about the best approach to putting the book together. The hope is for readers to be pleased by the vast and diverse inserts in the book. We added academics and practitioners able to discuss the tenets of social justice." Cambrice emphasizes the focus on interdisciplinary collaboration as a chief strength of "Contemporary Debates." "An interdisciplinary perspective is necessary to examine social justice in Black and Brown communities," she said, adding she thoroughly enjoyed working across an academic diversity that included history, political science, and sociology. "We are all social scientists, but we sometimes use a different lens to examine social inequities. I would say our collegial disagreements drove the development of the book. Our conversations proved just how layered many social justice issues are." The Ending Result In the final analysis, the editors of "Contemporary Debates" hope the book will inspire and motivate undergraduate and graduate students to embark on an exploration of health, political, criminal justice, and educational inequalities and infuse that exploration into their future careers. "There is no way to cover everything in one book," Cambrice said. "But I am proud of our effort, and I think we highlight some relevant issues." PVAMU's Mellon Center for Faculty Excellence<https://www.pvamu.edu/blog/prairie-view-am-university-to-establish-the-mellon-center-for-faculty-excellence/> provided support for the project. Sandra M. Phoenix HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. 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