Historical Significance

Q: Looking back at the development of the Division of People of Color and Crime and the Directory of Black Criminologists, how do you see the Collective carrying forward that legacy into the present?

Dr. Penn: The HBCU CJ Collective is a significant development building off of the work of the Division of People of Color and Crime in ASC, the Directory of Black Criminologists and other tools, and discussion on the subject of bringing people of criminology and criminal justice together. Helen Taylor Greene, Chinita Heard, Katheryn Russell-Brown, Ruth Peterson, Coramae Richey Mann and so many others moved ideas to reality by creating forums, panels, organizations and networks to bring Black Criminologists together. Upon analyzing their accomplishments, the work done by Debro (1981), Penn and Gabbidon (2007) and Keys and Wiggins (2022) and others sheds light on the significance of the HBCU when discussing inclusion in criminal justice. This is why the HBCU CJ Collective is so timely. The argument for such an organization is undeniable in the literature. The need for advocacy, organization and support is confirmed by the Chair's survey administered in March and the timing is right to maneuver the political and social environment that is currently present as related to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in the United States.


Student Development

Q: How does the Collective plan to engage and support HBCU students who are entering the field of criminal justice, both academically and professionally?

Dr. Penn: The HBCU CJ Collective has as its mission to advance students, faculty, and the communities in and around HBCUs for criminal justice related issues. Our students need a central place that connects them to other HBCUs, Predominantly White Institutions, Hispanic and Native American Institutions as well as government, for-profit and non-profit organizations and agencies in order to provide them with the opportunity to make the most of their HBCU experience while on campus and beyond. The competitive graduate of today has the 3.8 or above GPA and stellar letters of recommendation. That student must also bring skills, experience and knowledge to the workplace on day 1 to move quickly into the fast pace of criminal justice. Our students are no longer bound by geographical limitations. A student today can take a course from the very best instructors without ever leaving their home. The student of today has access to top research journals and papers without ever going to a library. The student of today can be on a team conducting groundbreaking research without ever being in the same room. The HBCU CJ Collective will use these technological advancements to link students with opportunity to maximize the real-world preparedness of the HBCU criminal justice student.


Policy & Reform

Q: Do you see the Collective playing a role in influencing criminal justice policy, and if so, in what ways?

Dr. Penn: As the HBCU CJ Collective develops we will see policy develop. I see us going through 3 important stages. The first is Establishment. Remember we formed in May 2025 and just received our 501(c)(3) status in August. We are grateful to the MacArthur Foundation for seeing the need for the HBCU CJ Collective and supporting the initiative with over $200,000. We are going to take this fall and spring to inform the criminal justice world that the HBCU CJ Collective exists and ask for participation and help as we move our mission forward. Our activities, media and outputs will establish our brand as we represent the thousands of faculty, students and community members in and around HBCUs. The second stage is Functionality. Here is when we have established ourselves, we are conducting our mission, we are known as an organization that gets things done and we have the network with other organizations, agencies and universities to collaborate to accomplish larger and larger outputs and outcomes. At this stage key persons in the organizations have emerged and the reputation of the organization is known in the national and international criminal justice space.

Finally, the final stage is Empowered. Here the HBCU CJ Collective becomes the policy maker. The organization provides significant input to the criminal justice world. Here the HBCU CJ Collective becomes a go-to organization providing vital input on and off campuses, in city councils, state legislatures and even in Washington, D.C. at the highest levels of the public, private and non-profit sectors. We cannot get there without the support of our students, faculty and communities. We have left the organization as an open table in which all who are interested in advancing HBCU students, faculty and communities have a seat. It is not a seat to rest. It is a seat to accomplish work and move the organization forward.


Research Agenda

Q: What areas of research do you believe HBCU faculty are uniquely positioned to lead on, and how will the Collective help amplify that scholarship?

Dr. Penn: The intersection of race and crime is probably the second most tested variable associated with crime. The first is gender. With so much written on the subject of race it is important that all evidence-based perspectives are given an opportunity to be in the scholarly marketplace to face scrutiny and validation. For decades scholars have written about exclusion and being left out. Today Black Scholars in criminal justice are becoming familiar names such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Elijah Anderson, William J. Wilson and many others. In fact, Academic Influence named Biko Agozino and Shaun Gabbidon as the 15th and 24th most influential criminologists in the world, respectively! The HBCU CJ Collective will conduct trainings and workshops to assist scholars to make that leap from the first manuscript “rejection” to confidently sending in manuscripts that are viewed as needing only light revisions or none at all. We then will highlight pieces that aid our students, faculty, and communities.


Partnerships & Resources

Q: With support from organizations like the MacArthur Foundation, what opportunities do you see for expanding resources and partnerships for HBCU CJ programs?

Dr. Penn: Every organization needs funding. The MacArthur Foundation has provided us a tremendous start. In our first 100 days we organized the organization, received 501(c)(3) status, conducted an online 15-hour training course for Chairs, and a residential Summer Writing Institute for early scholars in Durham, North Carolina. With our website and social media available we will be ready to fully serve our students, faculty and communities. As a nonprofit we will have a traditional campaign this fall so that our followers can become supporters. We will look for and receive foundational support to expand the organization and move it to be empowered.


Future Outlook

Q: If we were to revisit this conversation ten years from now, what milestones would you hope the HBCU CJ Collective has achieved by then?

Dr. Penn: Ten years from now we are going to be in the Empowered Stage mentioned earlier, as an active partner in which research turns to policy, policy into programs and programs become best practices.


Origins & Purpose

Q: What inspired the creation of the HBCU Criminal Justice Collective, and how does it build upon the earlier foundations of Black Criminology and the work of pioneers in the field?

Dr. Penn: The idea for the HBCU CJ Collective came from senior scholars such as Mann, Peterson, Hawkins, Sulton, Heard, Young and so many others who realized there are voices to be heard. Through their activism during the Civil Rights movements they provided the spark to bring that fire to criminal justice to organize and build upon previous work to provide a platform for others. Today the Collective is proudly built on their progress to provide opportunity for students, faculty and communities in and around HBCUs to advance in criminal justice issues.


Vision & Goals

Q: What are the core goals of the Collective, and how do you envision it shaping the future of criminal justice education and scholarship at HBCUs?

Dr. Penn: There is something about being on an HBCU campus. The diversity is noticeable as well as the intentional focus of students and faculty to achieve because so many others are depending on them to succeed. Perhaps it is a Talented 10th philosophy but it produces a feeling of pride when the first-generation student moves to graduation and you see the emotion in all of the family members as they share in the triumph of that accomplishment that involved sacrifice, bravery, and tenacity to move forward and stay the course. The field of criminal justice needs bright minds to solve the issues of today and tomorrow. Diversity in research, interpretations of that research as well as policy, program and practice implementation is necessary. The HBCU CJ Collective will be the voice for HBCUs to be heard in the arena of public discourse.


Challenges & Opportunities

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges facing HBCU criminal justice programs today, and how does the Collective position itself to turn those challenges into opportunities?

Dr. Penn: HBCUs have history and are geographically spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic States, down to the Caribbean, over to Oklahoma and Texas as they move throughout the South. Some are large with over 10,000 students and others have under 2,000 students. The challenge that is our greatest opportunity is to provide the central location where all can come together, feel a sense of unity and provide the research, teaching, and service collectively for the good of their students, faculty, and communities. Communication will be the key to open the door to these challenges to make them opportunities of success.


Community & Collaboration

Q: How does the Collective foster collaboration among HBCU faculty, students, and national organizations, and why is that collaboration essential to its mission?
 

Dr. Penn: The HBCU CJ Collective has a place for all interested in moving the students, faculty, and communities in and around HBCUs forward. We have established Committees to lead in research, teaching, professional development, policy development, and international initiatives. These are national positions that will be led by faculty members around the country with faculty and students completing the work. I imagine in a short period of time, requests for researchers, requests for policy development, assistance with program implementation, and evaluation will come into the national office from around the country if not the world. We will answer those requests with the faculty and students best equipped for such tasks. A Scope of Work will be developed, other particulars will be negotiated, and the work will get done. Getting to YES comes from clear goals and objectives, providing resources, and working to solve problems rather than simply talk about them.

Impact & Legacy

Q: When you think about the long-term impact, what legacy do you hope the Collective will leave for both HBCUs and the broader field of criminal justice?
 

Dr. Penn: I am grateful and humbled by the opportunity to lead this powerful organization through its building stages. I have the opportunity to work with champions and use that experience to build new champions of our field. My legacy will be creating a strong foundation that can stand the hurricane of criticism, concern, and uncertainty we currently find ourselves in the college, university, and public arenas. Each leader of an organization should think about their exit and succession plan on day one so that the anchors are in place to continue the organization at higher and higher levels.
 

Personal Connection

Q: On a personal level, what drives your commitment to this work, and what do you see as the most rewarding part of leading this initiative?

Dr. Penn: Personally, one of my books I dedicated to my son, and I wrote the following: Dedicated to my son Regis, an African American youth who is turning into a Black man! Stay rooted in justice through active listening and lead the voice of fairness for people most in need as you traverse this turbulent American journey. Regis is now all grown up in college, but the overall message of my grandfather remains based in a song sung many, many Sunday mornings: “If I can help somebody, then my living is not in vain.”