EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Big Ten Network will feature a Michigan State University professor's work to prevent gang violence on an episode of "Impact the World" at 10:30 p.m. EST Feb. 21 following the University of Michigan vs. Northwestern University basketball game.
Sociology professor Carl Taylor will be featured for his research on youth culture and gang violence in urban communities of Michigan.
Taylor teaches MSU students, young children and youth involved in gangs to see what's still possible in these communities.
"We have a normalization of ignorance and violence in this nation that we are all responsible for and I want us to step up," he said. "We need to stop pointing the finger; everyone has to step up and stop feeling that all is lost."
Taylor teaches students who aren't from urban communities that they share much in common with those who live there, and that they, too, have a stake in its success and the responsibility to care.
"This young generation — urban, suburban, rural — share some things that I think are not good," Taylor said. "And it's my job as an older guy to help them see them — not to talk down to them, but to teach them. I'm a teacher. I'm a communicator. This is what I am."
"Impact the World" is a powerful new eight-part series that shifts the focus from the playing field to the world stage where Big Ten professors and students are making their presence known. The series is showcasing some of the incredible Big Ten breakthroughs that are changing lives across the world. Host Dennis Haysbert will unveil the stories that demonstrate how these advances impact each of us and the world in which we live.
"Impact the World" airs Tuesdays on Big Ten Network. Check local listings for times.
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