Acts Against Violence
January 1995

Black Issues Forum will present three programs on the subject of violence as part of the Public Broadcasting System's two-year national campaign focusing on youth violence.

America is increasingly held hostage by the threat of violence. In North Carolina last year, 2,800 students were either arrested or suspended for using a firearm or knife, and 17,000 students were suspended for assault and battery on another student. To search for solutions to this alarming problem, Black Issues Forum returns live with Act Against Violence, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995 at 9 p.m. on University of North Carolina Television (UNC-TV).

Said executive producer and Director of Educational Services Jay Holloway, "This human problem crosses all social, economic and racial boundaries, affecting all Americans. We hope Black Issues Forum will inspire creative discussion and provide constructive and applicable solutions for North Carolina as well as the nation."

Hosted by Valeria Lee, the program features a panel of violence prevention experts, a citizen activist and a youthful offender who outline the scope of the problem then discuss effective solutions for families, schools and communities. Participating in the discussion are Gwen Chun, director of the North Carolina Division of Youth Services in Raleigh; Calvin Kearney, prevention specialist with A Touch of Peace in Charlotte; and Deborah Prothrow-Stith, assistant dean for Government and Community Programs, Harvard School of Public Health (pre-recorded). They will be joined by Kwame, a youthful offender involved in the penal system, and a Durham parent with project RAPP.

Following the hour-long panel discussion, the statewide audience will have the opportunity to interact with panelists and studio audience members via an 800 number. This interactive segment of the program will address specific issues facing North Carolina.

Host/Panelists

Valeria Lee:
The moderator for "Black Issues Forum" is Valeria Lee, program Development Officer for Z. Smith Reynold Foundation

Calvin B. Kearney:
Calvin B. Kearney is a violence prevention trainer with "A Touch of Peace" in Charlotte. With extensive experience as a police officer, Kearney has seen the "real world" effects of violence, domestic conflict and substance abuse. Now dedicated to curbing the cycle of violence, Kearney gives seminars to teach individuals and communities steps they can take to prevent and change violent behavior. Kearney is a member of the faculty for the Advanced Governors Academy for Prevention Professionals and the National Association of Prevention Professionals and Advocates.

Deborah B. Prothrow-Stith
Deborah B. Prothrow-Stith is assistant dean for Government and Community Programs at Harvard School of Public Health. Her interest in violence prevention began with her medical residency at Boston City Hospital, where she began to examine violence as a societal disease. She developed and wrote the first violence prevention curriculum for schools and, in 1991, co-wrote Deadly Consequences, the first book to present the public health perspective on violence for a mass audience. Appointed in 1987 as the first woman commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Prothrow-Stith established the first office of violence prevention in a department of public health.