NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge will host “Triggering the Debate: Gun Control, Race, and Mental Illness,” a panel discussion featuring New York State Senator Jose M. Serrano, Bill Finch, the mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid, and Gary Belkin, deputy director of the program in global mental health at NYU Langone School of Medicine, on Fri., March 8.

“Triggering the Debate: Gun Control, Race, and Mental Illness”—March 8 Roundtable
NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge will host “Triggering the Debate: Gun Control, Race, and Mental Illness,” a panel discussion featuring New York State Senator Jose M. Serrano, Bill Finch, the mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid, and Gary Belkin, deputy director of the program in global mental health at NYU Langone School of Medicine, on Fri., March 8, 6:30 p.m. at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. ©iStockPhoto.com/Nathan Jones

The panel will be moderated by Vanderbilt University Professor Jonathan Metzl, a psychiatrist and author of The Protest Psychosis.

The event is free and open to the public. An RSVP is required by calling 212.992.9562, emailing jessica.coffey@nyu.edu, or going to: http://bit.ly/WroUVp. Subways: 6 (Astor Place); N, R (8th Street). Reporters interested in attending must contact James Devitt, NYU’s deputy director for media relations, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.

In the wake of the tragedy in Sandy Hook, Conn., public debate has centered on gun ownership and the Second Amendment. But beneath it simmers questions of mental illness, stigma, and race, eliciting questions of bias and the complicated politics of diagnosis. At the “Triggering the Debate” discussion, these opinion leaders, lawmakers, and mental health professionals will address the core issues of the gun control debate, measure the success of local initiatives, and offer their insights into President Obama’s proposals. Panelists will discuss if gun laws can confront mental illness without stigmatizing the mentally ill and consider the complicated history that race has historically played in the debate.

The event is co-sponsored with support of the Vanderbilt University Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, NYU’s Metropolitan Studies Program, and the NYU Department of Social and Cultural Analysis.

Press Contact

James Devitt
James Devitt
(212) 998-6808