LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Once under a death sentence, a former inmate who now is an author and Ohio State University social work professor will give a free, public talk Nov. 23 at the University of Louisville.
Rudolph Alexander Jr. will talk about his journey “To Ascend Into the Shining World Again,” which also is the title of his autobiography detailing social and economic injustices he experienced after his 1967 arrest.
UofL’s Kent School of Social Work is sponsoring the 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. event in Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium.
Social work students in Kent’s “Human Behavior in the Social Environment” course have been reading Alexander’s autobiography, in which he describes how unfairness in the criminal justice system affected him after his arrest at 17 in a gang member’s murder.
His death sentence was reduced to life in prison after his appeal and some applicable Supreme Court rulings, and he served nearly eight years in prison. After his parole from a Georgia prison, he earned advanced degrees in social work and later joined the OSU faculty. He conducts research in adult and juvenile corrections, deviance and psychopathology and has written several books including “Racism, African Americans and Social Justice.” His latest, “Beyond Micro: A Macro Understanding of Human Behavior and the Social Environment,” is set for publication this year.
For more information, contact Sharon Moore, UofL social work professor, at 502-852-0751 or semoor02@louisville.edu