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vitalvoices 2024-2025

vitalvoices ho​mepage In Cased You Missed it

The vitalvoices Speaker Series serves as a forum to bring scholars and practitioners alike to speak to students, faculty, alumni and community partners at UHD's College of Public Service. It is our hope that those we invite to speak will share, from the heart, their professional experiences, their knowledge, and how the work they do impacts society as a whole. We like to feature people whose work is interdisciplinary and touches upon the fields social work, criminal justice and urban education.

February

Can Sex Be Addictive? Facing the Realities of Problematic Compulsive Sexual Behavior


Wednesday, February 5th from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Jake Porter

“Can Sex Be Addictive? Facing the Reality of Compulsive Problematic Sexual Behavior” explores the controversial question of whether sexual behavior can qualify as an addiction. Dr. Jake Porter will provide an engaging and accessible overview of the science, emotional impacts, and common misconceptions surrounding this topic, offering clarity and insight for individuals, families, and professionals alike.

Porn and Sexual Violence: Is there a link?

Thursday, February 13th from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Speakers: Dr. Ethan Marshall, UHD, and Dr. Holly Miller of SHSU. 


The Other Great Migration



Thursday, February 20th from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Bernadette Pruitt 

Between 1900 and 1950 an estimated 50,000 African-descent peoples relocated to Houston, Texas, for economic freedom and improved social rights. Believe it or not, they saw nearby Houston as a haven from the tyranny of rural apartheid.

March

Anti-Muslim Bigotry: Status Quo, Self-Reflection, & Hopes



Wednesday, March 6th from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Abdelnasser Hussein, UHD

The Rise of Black Women in Higher Education


Thursday, March 20th from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Bernadette Pruitt 

Black women have been teaching in Texas colleges and universities since the late nineteenth century. This manuscript project unearths this story and pays homage to generations of college professors in the Texas academy who have served the state and their students well.

For more information contact Steven Villano, director of the Center for Public Service and Community Research at villanos@uhd.edu.