Award-winning psychologist Jamilia Blake, PhD, will present “Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, in Seton Hill University’s Cecilian Hall (Greensburg, PA). This presentation is free and open to the public.
Blake’s two-day visit to Westmoreland County will also include visits to schools and meetings with educators. Her visit is co-sponsored by the YWCA Westmoreland County, Seton Hill University, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Westmoreland Diversity Coalition, the NAACP Greensburg-Jeannette, Westmoreland County Community College Black Awareness Committee, and the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.
In her presentation, Blake will share data on her groundbreaking study that shows that adults view Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, especially in the age range of five to 14 years old. The report, supported by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, builds on similar results that have emerged from studies of adult perceptions of Black boys. The study also reveals a potential contributing factor to the disproportionate rates of punitive treatment in the education and juvenile justice systems for Black girls
Blake’s research examines the developmental trajectory of peer-directed aggression, bullying, and victimization in socially marginalized youth and racial/ethnic disparities in school discipline. She is author to more than 40 publications, as well as being a licensed psychologist and tenured associate professor at Texas A&M University.
For additional information about Blake’s visit to the region or her presentation, please call 724-989-9007.