Office of the Provost

“America’s Racial Reckoning” faculty panel conversation

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June 8, 2020

Dear Brandeis Community,

As the violent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others have shown us yet again, entrenched systemic racism threatens the very lives of Black people in the United States. United by both our commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and as a community that considers social justice central to our mission, I urge us all to take time to examine this issue in the larger society and at Brandeis itself.

To this end, this Friday, June 12, at noon, I invite you to a virtual panel, “America’s Racial Reckoning: Black Lives and Black Futures in Historical, Political and Legal Context,” moderated by Chad Williams who is the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Chair in History and the Chair of the African and African American Studies department. This panel will bring together University Professor Anita Hill, Daniel Kryder who is the Louis Stulberg Chair in Law and Politics, and Leah Wright Rigueur who is the Harry Truman Associate Professor of History, for an in-depth discussion from multiple scholarly perspectives of this moment, its historical precedents, and possible outcomes.

You will find more details about this event and how to participate by clicking on the following link: www.brandeis.edu/streaming. Members of the Brandeis community are invited to submit questions for the panelists in advance through this Google Form.

This discussion is sponsored by the Department of African and African American Studies; Department of Politics; Department of History; Heller School for Social Policy and Management; Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Office of the President; and the Office of the Provost.

I hope you’ll join me for what is sure to be an important Brandeis discussion and opportunity for learning.

Sincerely,

Lisa M. Lynch, Provost