WFU Center for Literacy Education initiates community conversations about gun safety and young children
Former ‘Sesame Street’ writer visits local schools to teach kids about the dangers of guns
William Electric Black, a seven-time Emmy-winning writer for his work on the TV show ‘Sesame Street,’ visited two Winston-Salem Forsyth County elementary schools this week to read his children’s book, “A Gun is Not Fun,” to kindergartners.
Black’s visits were part of an initiative led by Wake Forest University’s Center for Literacy Education, which seeks to address important issues surrounding various aspects of literacy and make a positive change in the community.
Winston-Salem Police Chief William H. Penn Jr., also participated in the school visits, highlighting how the Center seeks to foster collaboration between the University, area schools, local police, and experts in the fields the Center explores. After the presentation, Penn spoke positively of the opportunity to instill awareness of gun safety in young children.
Black was the keynote speaker for the Center’s Visiting Scholars Speaker Series and Community Networking Conference held at Wake Forest.
The theme was “A Gun is Not Fun: Strategies to Keep Children Safe from Gun Violence.” Speakers engaged in conversation about gun violence prevention strategies with a specific focus on the community’s youngest learners.
“This is the first big event for the Center,” said Dr. Alan Brown, director of the Center and associate professor of English education. “The conversations were outstanding. We had a great crowd and people seemed really engaged.”
The first panel was moderated by Dr. Anna Miller-Fitzwater, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The conversation focused on gun injury prevention strategies and the need to approach gun safety as a public health crisis. Panelists included Dr. Adam Goldstein of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Family Medicine and Dr. Rebecca Palmer, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
“It’s really not a controversial topic,” Palmer said, emphasizing the importance of talking to families about gun ownership and safe storage of firearms to keep them out of the hands of curious children.
A second panel, moderated by Major Derri Stormer with the Wake Forest University Police Department, focused on public safety. Panelists were Dr. Apryl Alexander with the UNC Charlotte Violence Prevention Center and Jared Pone, external affairs manager with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and NC S.A.F.E., a group that provides free gun locks and gun safety tips.
In a third panel, Wake Forest sociology professor and gun culture expert David Yamane talked with moderator Kimberly S. Jones, the 2023-2024 NC Teacher of the Year, about his book “Gun Curious: A Liberal Professor’s Surprising Journey Inside Gun Culture.” They discussed the importance of understanding why some people enjoy firearms and others are afraid of them.
After being introduced by Wake Forest theatre professor Jon Herbert, Black delivered the conference’s keynote address and spoke about how “Sesame Street” approaches important issues for its young audience with extensive research and finding ways to appeal to kids through repetition and concepts they can grasp easily. “Get them thinking,” said Black, who has written plays addressing gun violence in addition to children’s books and is a faculty member at New York University’s Tisch School.
During Black’s visit, he also met with several Wake Forest classes, including coaching Wake Forest students involved in the Theatre in Education program, participating in a Q&A with theatre students, and visiting an animation studies class.
“The Center for Literacy Education’s mission is to foster interdisciplinary partnerships and professional learning and to bring literacy to life through community engagement,” Brown said. “The events of this week are just a glimpse of what’s to come as we continue to grow and develop.”
Recent News
AAAS honors two Wake Forest researchers as lifetime Fellows
AAAS honors two Wake Forest researchers as lifetime Fellows
Claudia Vega named 2025 TED Fellow for work on mercury pollution in the Amazon
Claudia Vega named 2025 TED Fellow for work on mercury pollution in the Amazon