Jackson State University will serve as the host institution for the 81st Annual Conference of the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists (ASBS), March 9-12, in Jackson, Miss.
During the conference, research and other scholarly papers will be presented by professionals in the academy from throughout the country. Additionally, competitive and non-competitive presentations and poster sessions will be made by graduate and undergraduate students. The conference theme is Voices of a Global Black Community: Life in America and Beyond.
A highlight of the conference is the annual W.E.B. Du Bois Award Luncheon, which recognizes a prominent scholar, community leader or government representative whose contributions reflect the prolific scholarly and political contributions of Du Bois. This year’s honoree is Percy W. Watson, a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives (Miss. District 103). The luncheon will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 9, in the Marriott Hotel Ballroom, 200 E. Amite St. Tickets are $35 per person.
Contact ASBS Luncheon Committee chair Dr. Lurlene Irvin at lurlene.irvin@jsums.edu, or call 601-979-2797 to purchase tickets.
Watson, a native of Hattiesburg, is serving his 10th term in the Mississippi Legislature, completing nearly 37 years of service. He is the former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and serves as a member of the Judiciary, PEER and Appropriations committees. An attorney with a private practice since 1976, Watson is a member of the Iowa, Alaska and Mississippi Bar Associations.
The Marguerite Rogers Howie Distinguished Service Award commemorates the lengthy and outstanding service given to ASBS by professor Rogers Howie. Annually, the award is presented to an ASBS member whose service models that of professor Rogers Howie. Another special feature of this year’s conference is a memorial service planned for 6 p.m. Friday, March 11, in Woodworth Chapel at Tougaloo College to honor the late Dr. Lena Wright Myers, a longtime ASBS member.
ASBS was founded by Theophilus E. McKinney in 1935 at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. Annually, social and behavioral scientists and other scholars from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) host the conference as a forum to continue the work of ASGS and to address issues that impact communities, nation and work.