Social Justice Awards Fund Faculty Projects for Community Impact

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Posted on September 23, 2024

Joy Washington

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The University of South Alabama Social Justice Research Initiative is presenting awards of up to $10,000 to five faculty members for their outstanding research projects created to better serve the community through commitment and impact.

The grant program was created in 2020 to support faculty research on social stratification, environmental justice, health disparities and equity. The 2024 recipients are Drs. Thomas Adams, Jordan Albright, George Bovenizer, Meredith Tittler and Ashley Williams. 

“We are pleased to honor the great research efforts of these distinguished faculty members,” said Vice President of Community Engagement Dr. Joél Billingsley. “We are committed to supporting faculty research that benefits our community stakeholders.”

“The grants provide seed funding that amplifies the work that South’s researchers do,” said Dr. Michael Chambers, chief economic development officer and interim vice president for research and economic development. “The grants also provide preliminary data for longer-term projects that can garner external funding, strengthening community connections and making an impact on local health disparities.”

Funded Research Projects:

Using a Community-Partnered Approach to Understand and Address Race-Based Autism Diagnostic Disparities in Mobile

Assistant Director of Psychology Jordan Albright

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological issue that impacts one in 36 children in the United States. Early identification and intervention for this population is critical to improving outcomes for autistic children and their families. The goal of this research is to partner with a community advisory board to develop a multi-component toolkit that will overcome identified barriers and facilitate more timely and culturally informed autism diagnostic assessments for Black children in Mobile.

Black Baseball: Breaking the Color Barrier

Assistant Professor of Communication George Bovenizer

Years before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947, the best Black and white players were sharing the same fields, creating bonds and tearing down racial walls while playing in winter leagues in more tolerant regions of the United States and abroad. The goal of the proposed study is to further examine media coverage of Black baseball on the West Coast and Latin America in the 1930s and 1940s and how it helped accelerate the desegregation of professional baseball.

Accounting for Just Transition: Climate Change and Labor in the Gulf South and Beyond

 Associate Professor of Integrative Studies Thomas Adams

This project will bring labor and environmental groups in the Gulf South together around questions of a more effective and just energy transition strategy by investigating the history of the concept of just transition for fossil fuel workers; hosting a scholarly workshop on the topic; and bringing labor and environmental groups in the Gulf South together around questions of a more effective and just energy transition strategy while seeding a regional research network that can competitively apply for national funding.

Social Justice Behavioral Measure Validation Study Grant Proposal

Assistant Professor of Counseling and Instructional Sciences Meredith Tittler

The development of interventions to increase individuals’ cultural competencies has grown over the years, but the methods with which to assess their effectiveness have not developed at the same rate. The purpose of the study is to develop a valid and reliable self-report survey to measure social justice-related behaviors. In addition to attitude change, cultural competency training should result in behavioral change; therefore, the development of a valid and reliable behaviorally focused self-report measure is badly needed to assess the true impact of cultural competency trainings. 

 

Art for Justice: The Story of Gun Violence from a Youth’s Perspective 

Director for Center for Healthy Communities and Assistant Professor Ashley Williams, M.D.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death among youth in the United States, but the burden of gun violence is not evenly distributed throughout society. Young Black males are at a significantly increased risk, and communities of color bear the consequences of community gun violence. Project Inspire is a primary prevention strategy that aims to curb gun violence by engaging at-risk youth and addressing their educational and social needs to prevent further victimization and/or gun violence perpetration. There have been no previous studies where primary prevention hospital-based violence intervention programs have uplifted the voices of the most vulnerable population through art. Our goal is to use various art forms to uplift the voices of vulnerable youth and use their perspective to inform prevention strategies.

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