The 18th Annual Black Issues Conference

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Lenhart Grand Ballroom

"Art is Power"

Keynote Speaker: PJ Jones

PJ Jones, is a young, black creative educator and business owner by trade— writer, poet, athlete, and social justice warrior by calling. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Bowling Green State University in 2010 and her master’s degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Western Michigan University in 2012. Currently, she serves as an Assistant Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs at the University of Florida where her focus lies in multicultural education, inclusive leadership, black identity development, and intersectionality. PJ is the co-founder of Fearlessly Fierce, LLC., the co-creator and personality behind the Educated and Melanted podcast. PJ is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Sidney A. Ribeau President’s Leadership Academy Alumni Society.

Session Information:

1:30 pm to 2:20 pm - Concurrent Research Presentation Sessions

Black Popular Music and Its Cultural Influences | BTSU 308
Mariia Spirina, Bowling Green State University, “Gangsta Rap Clothing in N.W.A.'s ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Music Video”
Robin Hershkowitz, Bowling Green State University, “‘It’s Raining Men’: Black Popular Music and Women’s Desire”
Lindley McGuire, Bowling Green State University, “‘Just Look at Me Like I’m Your Closest Pal, The Posterchild for White America’: Eminem’s Legitimacy as a White Artist Performing Black Music”

The Importance of Social Justice for African Americans | BTSU 314
Ghynecee Temple, Bowling Green State University, “The Cost of Social Justice”
Richard Brown and Abhijeet Shirshat, Bowling Green State University, “Ethics and Policing in Black America”
Bliss Like, Bowling Green State University, “The Psychology Behind Inner City America”

Dealing with Aggressions towards Black Females | BTSU 315
Triauna Carey, Bowling Green State University, “‘You Really Are Articulate and So Nice!’: The Rhetoric of Microaggressions and Reconstructing Black Womanhood in the World of Academia and Popular Culture”
Betty J. Maceo, Bowling Green State University, “My Name is Not B.....: Relational Aggression/Bullying and the Impact it has on African American Females”

Fiscal Responsibility | BTSU 316
Sylvia D. Chandler, Community Member, “Negotiating Detours and Roadblocks to Wealth”

2:30 pm to 3:20 pm - Concurrent Research Presentation Sessions

Black Art | BTSU 308
Bailey Bridgeman, Samford University, “Filled with Lead: Redefining the Black Beast Stereotype in Erskine Caldwell's ‘Saturday Afternoon’”
Britt Rhuart, Bowling Green State University, “Baadasssss Songs: The Success of Sweet Sweetback’s Album to the Marketing of the Film”
Heather M. Stephenson “Racially-Motivated Assignment of Societal Roles and their Impact on Personal Identity, as Supported by Baldwin’s ‘Previous Condition’ and Ellison’s Invisible Man”

LGBTQ+ Identity and Representation | BTSU 314
Robert D. Jiles, University of Maryland, “Black Men with Same-Sex Desire and the Political Potential in Their Affective Access and Accessibility to Online Visual Self-Representations”
Alexander Isaiah Darby Lester, Bowling Green State University, “Christmas Is Too Sparkly Said No One Ever”

African American College Experiences | BTSU 315
Sarah Chavada Davis, University of Alabama, “Examining Hope, Racial Identity, and Engagement in African American College Students Attending Predominantly White Institutions”

3:30 pm to 4:20 pm - Concurrent Research Presentation Sessions

Black Elementary Education | BTSU 308
SeMone L. Epps, Community Member, “Closing the Gap: Preschool and Beyond”
Jasmin Easterling , Bowling Green State University, “On Developing a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy”
Kelley Bagayoko, Community Member, “Preschool is Preparation for Life”

Food Struggles in American and African-American Culture | BTSU 314
Shanna Mariah Riley and Joy Mairura, Bowling Green State University, “Food Deserts and Soul Food: An Unhealthy Grip on the Black Community”
Washieka Torres, Bowling Green State University, “Discussion of Her Film, ‘Access Denied: Food Deserts and Disability in Mississippi’”

Student Government | BTSU 315
Kyle Smith, Bowling Green State University, Be a Better You at BGSU

Ohio School Boards Association Black Caucus | BTSU 316
Renda Cline and Other Members of Ohio School Boards Association Black Caucus, “A Reflection on Diversity and Equity for Ohio Public School Students: Perspectives of Urban School Board Members”

4:30 pm to 5 pm - Conference Closing | BTSU 228
• Conference Evaluations
• Screening Information and Tickets