Experiencing Civil Unrest: Elder Voices on Ferguson

ABSTRACT

Ferguson, Missouri became the center of the nation’s attention when an unarmed African American teenager was killed by a Caucasian police officer. Civic unrest continued for weeks. The aim of this study was to learn how older adults experienced the social unrest. Ten focus groups were conducted with 73 participants. Eight themes were identified. Issues related to safety were most commonly discussed. Participants reported a breakdown in intergenerational communications and expressed a desire for more exchange. Findings are being discussed with relevant organizations to increase the involvement of older adults in on-going community development efforts and to provide opportunities for intergenerational dialogue.

KEYWORDS:

• Civil unrest
• political protests
• intergenerational dialogue

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contribution of other team members, including Tom Meuser, Mary Schaefer, Eleanor Brookes, Lori Fiegel, Justin Carney, Connie Wilson, Myrtis Spencer, and Stephanie Herbers.

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost and the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost and the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis