An African - American Community Forum to be held TODAY

A Community Forum on the Health Impacts of Exploitive Ticketing and Avoidable School Suspensions on African Americans Living in Buffalo

The 2019 Reimagining Forum is being held in honor of Black History Month by The African American Health Disparities Task Force or AAHDTF, according.to BuffaloHeathlyLiving.com The Reimagining: Health, Education, Social Justice Community Forum on the Health Impacts of Exploitive Ticketing and Avoidable School Suspensions on African Americans Living in Buffalo takes place TODAY. (info below)

According to BuffaloHeathlyLiving.com, the forum will feature Shaun Nelms, Ed.D from the University of Rochester, and William and Sheila Connor who is The Director of The Center for Urban Education Success Educational Leadership. Professor Nelms will be the Keynote Speaker and spark discussions on the topic of avoidable school suspensions because students are being suspended for very small instances which negatively impacts their educational experience

According to the BuffaloHeathlyLiving.com website, exploitive ticketing will be addressed by Joanna Weiss, Co-Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center in New York City. Topics including parking violations, selling single cigarettes, and loitering will be discussed because of the effects the ticketing has on the physical and mental health of African Americans.

One of the organizers of the event, Rev. George F. Nicholas, MDiv, Pastor, Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church, and AAHD Task Force Convener, said this:

“Unjust practices create immediate stressors that result in health disparities and long term consequences such as loss of drivers’ licenses, or failure to graduate from high school that are social determinants of health,” added “Furthermore, low income individuals can be forced to spend as much as 70 percent of their resources to resolve avoidable fines. This just adds to their economic burden and compounds problems that they – and ultimately – all of us will have to deal with.”

Here's the Forum Agenda, according to Buffalo Healthy Living.com

2019 Forum Agenda

4:30 PM:Start
- Registration
- Information Tables
- Healthy Dinner

5 PM – 6 PM: Plenary Session
- Professor Shaun Nelms, Ed.D., will lead discussion focused on information and solutions pertaining to avoidable school suspensions.
- Joanna Weiss, JD, Co-Director, The Fines and Fees Justice Center,will address exploitive ticketing for small infractions that serve as a tax on the African American community.