The 1998 June forum was held in concert with the Institute's Grand Opening at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul campus. The forum agenda included an overview of the Institute's history, a brainstorming session, and keynote presentations. The Child Abuse and Neglect presentation contrasted national victimization rates to local stories of abuse and explored possibilities of curtailing the violence. The presentation on Battered Women focused on providing culturally competent services to African American female victims of domestic violence. Finally, the Black Males and Violence presentation explored the scope and consequences of interpersonal violence in the African American community and identified barriers to forming partnerships and suggested strategies to mitigate ideological differences among individuals and organizations.

The purpose of the 1998 forum was to provide an overview of domestic violence across the lifespan of African Americans; address its prevalence in the African American community; examine historical and culturally specific prevention and intervention tools; and finally, share examples of popular culture interventions. The forum included four plenary sessions that addressed violence at each stage of the lifespan: children, youth, adults, and elders.