Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
Summer 2023
Abstract
Goal Statement: The aim of this social change portfolio is to prevent gun violence in African American males in Baltimore City, Maryland, through increasing awareness in schools and communities.
Significant Findings: African American males are perpetrators and victims of gun violence at a substantially high rate in Baltimore City, MD. They are disproportionately affected in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities” (Shulman et al., 2021). According to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (2018), data from 2016 to 2020 revealed 44 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 people in Baltimore City, Maryland, compared to 12 people per 100,000 in the whole state of Maryland and 12 people per 100,000 in the United States. Easy access to illegal weapons, drug turf wars, and low self-efficacy contribute to delinquency, suicides, and homicides of young Black males in Baltimore. Because of its lethality and unpredictability, it seems probable that exposure to gun violence may have uniquely harmful psychological effects” (Shulman et al., 2021). Examining African American males' social-ecological relationships can help determine what interventions and strategies would be the most effective in bringing awareness to gun violence prevention in inner cities. Nisbett’s cultural cognitive theory examines the role of culture and how it affects the intergenerational transmission of violence (Kim, 2012). Nesbitt’s theory can help practitioners understand that some children may become perpetrators of violence through the intergenerational transmission of their parents. Promising Practices Network (2014) states that evidenced-based prevention programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters, located in Baltimore, have successfully diverted young Black males from engaging in violence and severe conduct problems.
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps:
The objectives of this portfolio are to assess the impact of gun violence on African American males in Baltimore City, MD. To determine how social-ecological systems assist in observing how a child’s development is affected through relationship interaction in the different systems. To determine how Nisbett’s cultural cognitive theory role of culture affects the intergenerational transmission of violence. To assess the outcome of evidence-based youth prevention programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). To explain institutional, community, and public policy barriers and advocacy to preventing gun violence in African American males in urban areas.
