"This is about fundamentally changing the way that we understand how Black men and boys are attacked within American society and the way that misandry aggression is a deliberate strategy to eliminate Black men and boys on the path to eliminating the whole race." -Dr. Tommy J. Curry

This past legislative session, Maryland decided to move backwards and enacted legislation that is eerily reminiscent of the kinds of legislation that were influenced by the super predator myth and media propaganda. The ACLU of Maryland joined Racial Justice NOW! for their special convening to address critical issues that are dehumanizing Black children. The two-day event was a necessary emergency convening. Watch this video of the highlights from the first half of the Friday programn.

Video by Nehemiah Bester. Photos by Nicole McCann.

00:00 – 00:22
Tiffany Kelly
Your presence here is not just appreciated, it's essential. It shows a commitment to pushing back against the systemic vilification of Black boys and men and a dedication to seeking racial justice now.

00:24 – 00:38
Dr. Tommy J. Curry
So, when you see a Black man, the perception that white Americans have with him is not as a human being. We constantly overlook what these threats mean for how Black men are treated. How Black boys are interpreted how their actions are perceived.

00:38 – 00:49
Dr. Tommy J. Curry
By teachers, by law enforcement, by other people in society. Yet we pretend that when we're talking about maleness when we’re talking about the vulnerability of Black boys, we're in fact just discussing bias.

00:50 – 01:09
Dr. Evan Auguste
Other expressions of Black male love. So, you get Fred Hampton you get Mumia. People who had dreams and hopes for a way that our community could create protections for themselves to advocate, resist in ways that allow people to thrive, meet some of the most harsh forms of state based violence.

01:13 – 01:23
Dr. Tommy J. Curry
Right, we have a population that’s being diminished, killed, and eliminated,
incarcerated, taken out of society. Simply because of how the white majority fears them
and how they perceive what their potential could be.

01:25 – 01:37
Dr. Evan Auguste
Through decades of propaganda that is weaponized against these people as opposed to people that we have the opportunity and ability to serve and help as opposed to these people as a member of community.

01:37 – 01:48
Dr. Tommy J. Curry
Dehumanization is not something that you simply think about or do because you've got
a different political stance. This is not about picking a new group of Black people to put in the limelight.

01:48 – 02:01
Dr. Tommy J. Curry
This is about fundamentally changing the way that we understand how Black men and boys are attacked within American society and the way that misandry aggression is a deliberate strategy to eliminate Black men and boys on the path to eliminating the whole race.

02:01 – 02:05
Tiffany Kelly
Not on my watch. Not on my watch.