Black students’ and parents’ perceptions of school discipline will be the subject of the African American Studies Fall Lecture at Illinois State University on November 11.

headshot of Charles Bell, Ph.D.

Charles Bell

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Charles Bell will give the talk at 4 p.m. in the Rosa Parks Room of Watterson Towers. The event is free and open to the public.

African American elementary and high school aged children are suspended at disproportionally high rates throughout the U.S. and in Bloomington-Normal. Bell, who researches how school suspensions harm African American families, will present a paper on the effects of racial bias in Illinois and Michigan. Bell will explore the impact of race and socio-economic status on suspension rates in predominantly white high schools as well as the effects of suspensions on both African American students’ academic performance and perceptions of school safety.

Bell is the recipient of the African American Studies Program’s Summer Research Initiative, a competitive grant awarded to one tenured/tenure track faculty member each year engaged in research on African American life, politics, history, or culture.

Those who need special accommodations to attend can contact African American Studies at africanamericanstudies@ilstu.edu. Find out more about the African American Studies Program.