The Black Male Development Symposium will host a “Community Conversation” at Arcadia University on Friday, Jan. 20 will examine how to build safe spaces for men, women, and youth in communities, and create an action plan to address issues that challenge these safe spaces.

The discussion, “Building Fences: How To Protect Our Communities,” will be guided by Eric “Shomari” Grimes of 900AM-WURD, and feature conversations by Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Community College of Philadelphia by Dr. David Thomas, couple and family therapist Dr. George James, Chief Defender at the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia Keir Bradford-Grey, and West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution Executive Director James Burnett.

Tickets to the symposium, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m., are $10, although Arcadia students can receive free admission using the code AUSTUDENT at online checkout. Tickets include all event materials, light refreshments, and a donation to the Black Male Development Symposium. To purchase a ticket, order online through Eventbrite, email contact@blackmaledevelopment.com, or call 215-572-8510.

This event is a joint project by Black Male Development Symposium, BMe Community, the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement, and Arcadia’s Pan-African Studies Department, Office of Institutional Diversity, POWER, IMPACT, and Black Awareness Society.