The University of Alabama will host a discussion about teen violence and social media on Thursday, Feb. 16. The event will kick off the annual Ethel H. Hall African American Heritage Month Celebration, according to UANews.

Desmond Patton, assistant professor of social work at Columbia University, will be the keynote speaker for the event. 

“There have been traditional methods of outreach using people in communities to discourage violence in real time, but it hasn’t caught up to the rise of social media,” Patton said to UANews. “We’ve considered social media as a risk factor, but I use it as a tool for intervening and preventing.”

The event, “Teen Talk and Tweeting with Dr. Patton,” will take place in the Rast Room of the Bryant Conference Center from 5-7 p.m. The event will be free and refreshments will be provided, according to UANews. 

If interested in the event, RSVP here. For more information, contact Liz Lary at 205/348-5384 or [email protected].