Rutgers, Princeton Co-host Symposium Examining ‘Race, Rights and Public Policy in the Age of Obama’

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Scholars from Rutgers, Princeton and other universities will discuss President Barack Obama’s largely race-neutral approach to civil rights policy and its impact on actual disparities in economic status, political and education access, and crime and punishment at a two-day symposium March 26 and 27.

Rutgers-New Brunswick will host the first part of “Racial Inequality and the Challenge of a Post-Racial Society: Race, Rights and Public Policy in the Age of Obama,” Friday, March 26, at 11:15 a.m. in Winants Hall. Princeton hosts the second-day program Saturday, 9 a.m., at Bowl 16, Robertson Hall. The symposium is sponsored by Rutgers’ Center for Race and Ethnicity (CRE) and Department of Political Science, and Princeton’s Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA). The symposium is free and open to the public.

“Barack Obama’s election as president throws into sharp relief ongoing challenges of civil rights and social justice,” said Alvin Tillery Jr., assistant professor of political science at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. “This gathering seeks to explore the tensions and contradictions at the heart of the election of the first African-American U.S. president.”     

Friday’s program, with times and speakers, follows:

·        “Media Coverage of Race and Public Policy” (11:15 a.m.) with Todd Johnson, TheGrio.com/NBC News; Christopher Rabb, founder, Afronetizen; Deepa Kumar, assistant professor of journalism and media studies, Rutgers School of Communication and Information (moderator)

·        “Educational Attainment and Access” (1:30 p.m.) with Thomas J. Espenshade, professor of sociology, Princeton; Roland Anglin, executive director, Initiative on Regional and Community Transformation, Rutgers; Jamie Lew, associate professor of sociology, anthropology and criminal justice, Rutgers-Newark; and Alvin Tillery Jr., Rutgers (moderator)

·        “Economic Inequality” (3:30 p.m.) with Christina Greer, assistant professor of political science, Fordham University; Niki Dickerson, professor, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations; Michael K. Brown, research professor of politics, University of California-Santa Cruz; and Keith Wailoo, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of History, Rutgers (moderator)

Saturday’s program, with times and speakers, follows:

·         “Civil Rights and Representation” (9 a.m.) with Imani Perry, professor, Center for African American Studies, Princeton; Kira Sanbonmatsu, associate professor of political science, Rutgers; Alvin Tillery Jr., Rutgers; and Tali Mendelberg, associate professor of politics, Princeton (moderator)

·         “Crime and Punishment” (10:45 a.m.) with Keesha Middlemass, assistant professor of political science, Rutgers-Newark; Pat Carr, associate professor of sociology, Rutgers; Marie Gottschalk, professor of political science, University of Pennsylvania; Jeannine Bell, LAPA fellow and professor, Indiana University Mauer School of Law; Lisa L. Miller, acting director, CRE, and associate professor of political science, Rutgers (moderator)

·         “Activism in the Age of Obama” (1 p.m.) with Cornel West, Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies, Princeton; Dennis D. Parker, director of the Racial Justice Program, ACLU; and Thomas J. Sugrue, David Boles Professor of History and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania.

 Rutgers’ Center for Race and Ethnicity facilitates research and enhances education on matters of race and ethnicity in contemporary life in New Jersey, the country and the world.