The youngest member of the wrongly-convicted “Central Park Five” will be the keynote speaker in a Feb. 4 symposium on racial justice, mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The symposium occurs at the Eastwood Event Center in Niles.
Kevin Richardson, who at age 14, was wrongfully convicted and served seven years in prison for a brutal crime in New York’s Central Park. Richardson’s story is told in the Netflix mini-series “When They See Us.”
The day-long symposium will be presented by Coleman Health Services, in partnership with the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board.
The event also features Laurese Glover, who with the help of the Ohio Innocence Project, had his case overturned in 2016 after being charged with a 1995 murder in Cleveland.
Other speakers include Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Carla Baldwin, James DeLucia of the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center, state Representative Thomas West, attorney Pierce Reed of the Ohio Innocence Project, Dr. Doug Smith of the Summit County ADM Board and Carmella Hill, clinical director of Coleman Health Services Trumbull County.
Malik Mostella, community liaison for the Youngstown Police Department, will serve as emcee. Carol Bennett, assistant provost of Diversity at YSU, will moderate the interviews and panel discussion.
“The goal of this event is to educate the community, while raising awareness and bridging the gap between the medical, mental health and legal systems of care,” said Cretella, director of clinical services at the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board.
A limited number of free tickets will be available to first responders and college students. Continuing-education credits will be available for counselors, social workers, attorneys, nurses, school counselors and EMTs.
“The Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board wants to ensure health equity and cultural competence within all behavioral health programs in our community,” said April Caraway, executive director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board. “We want to make certain that services meet the needs of diverse populations. We see this conversation as the next step to achieving this goal.”
“When we first began talking about this event, there were sponsors who immediately stepped up, recognizing the potential impact of this symposium,” said Stacia Erdos, Coleman Health Services’ regional development director for the Mahoning Valley. “Because of their generosity, we are able to bring Kevin Richardson to the area, and provide free tickets to more than 100 students and law enforcement.”
In addition to the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, other sponsors include the Coleman Foundation; Cafaro Foundation; Mercy Health Foundation and Mercy Health; Farmers Bank; the Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Education, Civic and Cultural Foundation; Pegs Foundation, Platt Insurance; The Ross Griffin Memorial Foundation; and Covelli Enterprises. A meet-and-greet will take place on the evening of Feb. 3 at The Grand Resort at Avalon.
Registration is now open, with tickets costing $100 which includes breakfast, lunch and CEUs. Visit: www.colemanservices.org…
For interviews or more information, contact
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