Dr. Apryl Alexander

Gathered all the way up.

At the Violence Prevention Center, we translate evidence into action—training professionals, informing policy, and developing research-driven programs. Your gift this #GivingTuesday fuels that mission.

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#EndViolence #CharlotteVPC #GivingTuesday

I’m never going to forget when “Watchmen” had that scene depicting the Tulsa Race Massacre and so many Black people online lamented that they were never taught that history.

It was by design. Oklahoma didn’t make it a part of school curriculum till 2020.

Whew that was heavy.

Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died. She was 111 years old.

Breaking: Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died. She was 111 years old

NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.

US appeals court upholds hate crime convictions of 3 White men in 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery | CNN A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the hate crime convictions of three White men who chased Ahmaud Arbery through their Georgia subdivision with pickup trucks before one of them killed the runni...

A federal appeals court upheld the hate crime convictions of three White men who chased Ahmaud Arbery through their Georgia subdivision with pickup trucks before one of them killed the running Black man with a shotgun.

Department of Education Proposal Excludes Public Health Degrees from “Professional Degree” Definition Discover the new results and implications of Dept of Ed consensus regarding professional degree programs and public health education.

This is beyond damaging to public health. It’s by design of course but still devastating

STATEMENT : "Let us be clear: Donald Trump's approach to homelessness does nothing to address the sky-high cost of rent, which remains the main cause of homelessness. Instead, his reckless actions are cruel and backward and will force even more people to sleep outside”

The @successcollab.bsky.social was so delighted to have @drapryla.bsky.social come talk about her work within the realm of advocacy and public scholarship! We all were inspired and invigorated to do better and use our science to help the public!

It was so much fun! 🥳

I'm in Detroit. It's 25 degrees & dropping. I met a woman who has slept outside for 5 months. Yesterday, all of her belongings, incl her blankets, were thrown away. She has nowhere else to go.

It doesn't have to be like this. Housing + support solves homelessness. We need political will.

Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.

Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...

Our Center’s suicide prevention training postdoc ad is live! The DoD-funded position will work with Drs. Robert Cramer, Annelise Mennicke, and Jessamyn Moxie on a training e-learning platform in partnership with Dr. Justin Baker and the Ohio State U team!

jobs.charlotte.edu/postings/64918

We’re hiring a Department Chair for Public Health and Health Administration at UNC Charlotte. See the job listing here:

jobs.charlotte.edu/postings/64712

ICYMI: My conversation with THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR director Geeta Gandbhir.

Public perceptions of castle doctrine and stand your ground cases Introduction Stand your ground (SYG) and castle doctrine (CD) laws are presently growing throughout the United States. The present study aims to better understand public perceptions of SYG and CD ca...

For our first study (several more to come in the coming months), see here:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

My research team began studying stand your ground laws and public perceptions after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery & Botham Jean. So I knew of Ajike Owen’s murder…however, I was still unprepared for The Perfect Neighbor. I’m glad this story was amplified but gutted at this tragedy.

If I could offer students one bit of…advice: be brutally traditional about what is printed on your degree.

If you are first-gen or in any way non traditional, this goes double. Let rich kids get degrees in AI. You get something called “English”.

#AcademicSky #PrejudiceResearch #PsychSciSky

Our new paper out in American Psychologist.

Led by Meleady, with @debshulman.bsky.social, Kotzur, & Crisp.

Contact "ruptures" (going to university; studying abroad) ==> changes in outgroup attitudes longitudinally

psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...

Abortion restrictions may be fueling a rise in domestic violence, experts warn On average, a woman’s risk of being killed in the U.S. increases by 20% when pregnant or after giving birth. Pregnant and postpartum women are more likely to be killed than to die from childbirth-rela...

Good PBS News Hour piece tonight on how abortion restrictions compromise women's domestic safety.

In the US, a pregnant/postpartum woman's risk of being killed is 20% higher than that of other women; she is more likely die by murder than from childbirth-related issues.

www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors consider leaving US south Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politics

There are so few academic jobs, and thousands of excellent scholars are all trying to move at the same time due to location. 

North Carolina needs evidence-driven solutions not retribution to reduce crime • NC Newsline We are all seeking solutions to deter and reduce crime in North Carolina. But bringing back the death penalty shifts the focus toward retribution rather than prevention of crime

Firing squads in 2025? 🤦🏾‍♀️

Latest op-ed published in NC Newsline. The death penalty is not a crime deterrent nor the answer for crime prevention.

ncnewsline.com/2025/10/08/n...

The UNC Charlotte Violence Prevention Center is partnering with The South Piedmont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) to offer multidisciplinary health professions CEUs!
 
Find out more at violenceprevention.charlotte.edu/education-an.... Our next one features our very own Dr. Rob Cramer!

Is Charlotte train stabbing suspect mentally fit for trial? Court-ordered evaluation process may take months. Decarlos Brown Jr.’s case highlights NC’s rising demand for court-ordered mental health evaluations and capacity restoration treatment.

“A majority of people who are found incompetent to stand trial are restored to competency,” @drapryla.bsky.social added. “They eventually go back to trial, back to their court case and proceedings continue.” 

www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2025/10/02/c...

We’re excited to invite you to an upcoming free virtual session:

Dissemination Methods that Work: Supporting Policymakers’ Value and Use of Research

Register here: bit.ly/4gEHOrB

Starting November 1st, New Mexico will become the first state to offer free universal childcare to all its residents.

It's expected to save families over $12,000 per child annually.

This is a huge step forward — and a reminder that we have the power to fix the system.

Joseph McNeil, Young Spark in a Civil Rights Battle, Dies at 83

Joseph McNeil, one of the Greensboro Four, passed away on Sept. 4 at the age of 83.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/u...

For People Mentally Unfit For Trial, Waits For Treatment Get Longer U.S. defendants must be able to understand the charges against them — but many who can’t remain behind bars waiting for mental health treatment.

“Basically, it’s a systemic movement of resources away from preventing tragedy to requiring tragedy,” Clark said. “It’s the same population. It’s the same people. It’s just where are we going to serve them: Before they’ve been criminalized or after they’ve been criminalized?”

If you have already or will successfully defend a legal psychology dissertation in 2025, apply for the @ap-ls.org
Dissertation Award by December 31! Winners will be invited to present their research at the AP-LS Annual Conference in March 2026!

More info here: ap-ls.org/awards/awards/dissertation

NYTimes has a sad but ultimately unsurprising report on some Black and brown parents giving their children a new version of "The Talk" - warning them how to react if police enacting Trump's crackdowns on crime and undocumented people come their way. Sigh. loom.ly/Hw_jltc