Youth Advocate, Baltimore Native Kevin Shird on His New Book, Uprising in the City, Aug. 30, 31
August 24, 2016
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Author, speaker, youth advocate and Baltimore native Kevin Shird will discuss his new book, Uprising in the City, on Tuesday, Aug. 30 and again on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 5:30 p.m. in the University of Baltimore's H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, 1415 Maryland Ave., in Room 208. Shird is speaking as a guest of the Human Services Administration program in the College of Public Affairs. Both of these in-class lectures are open to the UB community.
Shird has had a remarkable impact on young people worldwide with his advocacy work and his life story. He began dealing drugs in Baltimore City at the age of 16. After serving several years in federal prison, he transformed his life to become an advocate for youth and policy change. He has designed and implemented school-based programs and initiatives to help teenagers avoid the pitfalls of communities struggling with violence and substance abuse, and he lectures to students at colleges and universities across the country about substance abuse prevention, public health policy, prison reentry and incarceration.
Shird has worked with the White House Office of National Drug Policy to promote substance abuse awareness in the United States, as well as the planning committee of the Clemency Project led by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. In 2014, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake appointed Shird to the Heroin Treatment and Prevention Taskforce to develop comprehensive strategies designed to impact the heroin epidemic in Baltimore City.
Uprising in the City explores the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, who died while in police custody in April 2015. In the book, Shird describes the protests and violence he observed, offers solutions on how to break the cycle of problems that have plagued Baltimore for decades, examines other urban American cities that face similar issues—and portrays Baltimore as having the potential to become a champion of change and to set a precedent for the nation.
"Kevin has used his life's narrative as a catalyst to enhance awareness about social ills and to champion practical interventions," said Bridal E. Pearson, director of the B.S. and M.S. in Human Services Administration programs. "We are very excited to host Kevin as our guest speaker and support the launch of his new book."
Shird's first book, Lessons of Redemption, released in 2014, received international acclaim for its eye-opening depiction of the underground drug economy in Baltimore. His work on social issues affecting the community has been featured in The Baltimore Sun.
Seating for the lectures is limited and only students enrolled in the course are guaranteed a seat. Those who wish to attend are asked to send an email to bridalpearson206@gmail.com.
Learn more about the Human Services Administration program in the College of Public Affairs.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.