vitalvoices 2024-2025
The vitalvoices Speaker Series serves as a forum to bring scholars and practitioners alike to speak
to students, faculty, alumni and community partners at UHD's College of Public Service.
It is our hope that those we invite to speak will share, from the heart, their professional
experiences, their knowledge, and how the work they do impacts society as a whole.
We like to feature people whose work is interdisciplinary and touches upon the fields
social work, criminal justice and urban education.
Emotionally Overwhelmed? Join the Club
Wednesday, September 25th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Register Now
We are living in what seems like a prolonged time of great social, cultural, and technological change. Collectively we have experienced enormous shifts in our workplaces, our school systems, our families, and in the culture at large. Everything is changing.
For many, this can be overwhelming and contributes to what is called emotional dysregulation. The good news is you don’t have to be a therapist to learn how to effectively deal with emotions that cause us and others to feel stressed, frightened, and defensive.
Join Dr. J.C. Fowler, professor of psychology in psychiatry in behavioral health at Houston Methodist and Executive Clinical Director of Houston’s Monarch Community to learn about attachment theory and how it affects how we communicate and perceive our world. Whether you are an educator, social worker, plumber, parent, or business professional, the insights learned will help you communicate and connect with others in meaningful and productive ways.
Dr. James Chris Fowler
Dr. Fowler completed a 4-year post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology (1995-1999) at the Austen Riggs Center.
Speaker's Full BIOFrom the School House to the Court House: The History of Policing Mexican American Students in Houston Schools
Wednesday, October 9th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a look at the policing of Latino youth in Houston schools from the 1950s to the present. What is revealed is a complex and myriad relationship between Latinos and law enforcement in the Bayou City. The presentation will close with a Q&A.
Dr. Jesús Jesse Esparza
is an Associate Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of History at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.
Speaker's Full BIO
Dr. Carlos Cantú
serves on the board of the Holocaust Museum Houston’s Latinx Initiatives Advisory Committee and co-founded the Collective of Progressive Educators, a Houston-based non-profit group focused on promoting public history projects.
Speaker's Full BIOShopping Under suspicion: Understanding Racial and Ethnic Profiling in Retail Settings
Thursday, October 17th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Register Now
This presentation provides an overview of racial and ethnic profiling in retail settings, which is referred to as consumer racial profiling (CRP). In particular, the presentation examines the history of the stereotypical views of certain racial/ethnic groups that leads to CRP, as well as the current state of the knowledge related to the topic. The presentation also examines the assorted preventative efforts to reduce instances of profiling in retail establishments.
Dr. Shaun L. Gabbidon
Shaun L. Gabbidon, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at Penn State Harrisburg. This semester he is a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Sam Houston State University.
Speaker's Full BIOFor more information contact Steven Villano, director of the Center for Public Service and Community Research at villanos@uhd.edu.