Renowned professor and author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will deliver an address to youth at the Rhode Island Training School (RITS) today, Thursday, February 23rd, from 12:15 to 1:45 PM in the cafeteria, located on the 1st floor of the Youth Development Center building at the RITS. The Training School is located at 57 Power Road, Cranston. The media is invited to provide coverage.
Dr. Dyson, a Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, has been named by Ebony Magazine as one of the hundred most influential black Americans. He is the author of 16 books, including Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur and I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr., and writes extensively on African American culture and politics.
Dr. Dyson will be speaking and meeting with youth at the Rhode Island Training School who have participated in groups held by Providence's AS220 at the Training School. AS220 Youth is a free arts education program serving young people from 14 to 20, with a special focus on those in the care and custody of the state. AS220 Youth is using funds from the Surdna Foundation to cover the costs associated with Dr. Dyson's visit. RITS falls under the supervision of the state's Department of Children, Youth & Families.
DCYF Director Janice DeFrances said, "We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Dyson for his generosity in making himself available to visit with our young residents of the Rhode Island Training School and to talk to them about the representations of criminality and incarceration conveyed by hip hop music and other forms of popular culture, and the effect it has on youth. This very special presentation is bound to have a positive impact on the lives of those fortunate enough to gain inspiration and insight from this highly respected scholar and author."