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Natasha C. Pratt-Harris is an assistant professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Dr. Pratt-Harris is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park. She holds a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Baltimore and a Ph.D. in sociology from Howard University. Her research and teaching interests include juvenile justice (esp. justice for the falsely accused), disproportionate minority contact, Black inmates, institutional research at HBCUs, victimization, technology and deviance, and sexuality and deviance.
In this brief commentary, Dr. Pratt-Harris explores how the Trayvon Martin case will impact her teaching this fall.
When I initially began a full-time post as a college professor, it was on the brink of the September 2007 rallies in support of the Jena 6, a group of Black teenagers who were accused of attacking a White classmate in Louisiana. At the time, I was a lecturer who was knee-deep in doctoral research where I compared Black male college graduates to black males who had been released from prison. Our students organized an on campus Jena 6 rally, while we acknowledged the march that many students, faculty, and others were involved with in Jena, Louisiana. At our campus’ Jena 6 rally, I stood behind the podium on September 20th, 2007 and shared facts and statistics about the representation of black males in the criminal justice system. “Black males do not represent the majority of those under criminal justice representation, they are represented disproportionately! There are more Black males 18-24 years of age in college, then in jail/prison! Violence amongst Black males is as discerning an issue as violence between Black males and other groups!”
