Columbia University Sociologist to Lecture at Pitt April 8 on The Experiences of Low-Income Black Fathers

PITTSBURGH-Pitt's Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) is sponsoring a lecture by sociologist Ronald Mincy that will explore the situations faced by Black fathers with low incomes.

Mincy, the Maurice V. Russell Professor of social policy and social practice in Columbia University's School of Social Work, will deliver the lecture, titled "The Experiences of Black Fathers With Low Incomes," from noon to 1:30 p.m. April 8 at 2017 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. It is part of CRSP's annual Reed Smith Spring 2008 Speaker Series.

The event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided and registration is not required. For more information, call 412-624-7382 or visit www.crsp.pitt.edu.

Mincy has conducted extensive work and research on U.S. social welfare policies, especially those involving child support and workforce development. He served on the Clinton Administration's Welfare Reform Task Force and is currently a member of the Chicago-based MacArthur Network on the Family and the Economy. He edited "Black Males Left Behind" (Urban Institute Press, 2006) and coedited "Black Fathers in Contemporary American Society" (Russell Sage Foundation, 2003).

Mincy is one of the principal investigators on The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a project out of Princeton and Columbia Universities that is following a cohort of nearly 5,000 children born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000, roughly three-quarters of whom were born to unmarried parents. Investigators are studying how these families are faring and how they are affected by social welfare policies and environmental conditions.

CRSP, part of Pitt's School of Social Work, offers a spring and fall lecture series as part of its mission to conduct race-related research, disseminate race-related research findings, and mentor emerging scholars.

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