Ode to the downpressor: A psychological portrait of racism, classism, denial and possibilities for social transformation in (post) colonial Jamaica
A talk by Deanne Bell, College of New Rochelle
Wednesday, March 28, 6 p.m.
African American Resource Center (3B-04)
York College/CUNY
Jamaica has one of the highest per capita murder rates of lethal police shootings the world. In (post)colonial Jamaica, 21st century vile political power succeeds in its oppression because of our refusal to both acknowledge and act against its murderous effects. This presentation discusses how bystanders (downpressors) to state violence structure their psychic and social spaces to distance themselves from ongoing human rights failures in Jamaica. We will also discuss how social transformation may come about for the downpressor based on the premise that resisting oppression and reawakening perception of human rights violations is tied to a renaissance of consciousness, catalyzed by socially conscious art.
Deanne Bell, Ph.D., is a Jamaican liberation psychologist whose research, teaching and social activism interests focus on social emancipation. She is adjunct faculty at the College of New Rochelle. Her dissertation is entitled Ode to the Downpressor: A Psychological Portrait of Racism, Classism, and Denial in (Post)Colonial Jamaica.
We would also like to extend an invitation to attend the Crisis of the Black Male Conference held Tuesday at Medgar Evers College and Wednesday at York College, by the Male Initiative Program.
