2020 Events

Nov. 19, 2020 — Tressie McMillan Cottom: How Black Women are Shaping the Future of American Democracy

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy proudly features Tressie McMillan Cottom in the William C. Powers, Jr. Speaker Series. Dr. Cottom is the New York Times bestselling author of Thick. And Other Essays (National Book Award Finalist), co-host of the podcast "Hear to Slay" with Roxanne Gay, a 2020 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipient, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science, a senior faculty researcher with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, and a faculty affiliate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.

 

Oct. 22, 2020 — The Power of the Vote: Election 2020 and Racial Equity with Ambassador Ron Kirk

Dr. Peniel Joseph discusses the significance of active citizenship at a time of racial reckoning with Ambassador Ron Kirk, Senior Of Counsel in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Dallas and Washington, DC offices and former Dallas mayor who served as the United States Trade Representative in President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

 

Oct. 1, 2020 — Pursuing Racial Justice Amid Gentrification in Austin with Dr. Eric Tang

Dr. Peniel Joseph discusses gentrification-driven displacements of Austin's longstanding African American residents with University of Texas at Austin Professor Dr. Eric Tang.


Aug. 27, 2020 — Reimagining Public Safety: Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism

CSRD Director Dr. Peniel Joseph discusses the future of public safety with Kellee Coleman, business process consultant for the City of Austin's Equity Office; Sukyi McMahon, strategic director and board chair of the Austin Justice Coalition; and Chris Harris, director of Texas Appleseed's Criminal Justice Project.


July 29, 2020 — Dean Pedro Noguera on The Search for Racial Justice in Education: Uprooting Structural Racism

Author, activist and sociologist Dr. Pedro Noguera, dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, joins the CSRD for the first virtual presentation of the William C. Powers, Jr. Speaker Series. Honoring the memory of former UT President William C. Powers, Jr., this speaker series invites thought leaders to present research in American politics and public policy in reflection of his commitment to diversity and inclusion.

 

June 25, 2020 — Building the Beloved Community: Allyship During Racial Crisis

Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and Barbara Jordan Chair of Ethics and Political Values, and panelists Lawton Cummings and Kelli Mason, partners at Notley, an Austin-based nonprofit social impact firm, discuss meaningful paths to allyship and fostering an inclusive and equitable society for all.

 

June 3, 2020 — Justice and Equity in Austin in a Time of National Crisis: A Community Conversation

CSRD Founding Director Dr. Peniel Joseph and Dr. Jeremi Suri, LBJ Professor Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs, moderated a virtual public forum with Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Austin Council Member Alison Alter and Austin Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison.

 

March 3, 2020: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy hosted Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., one of the nation's leading scholars on African American history and literature, as the third keynote presenter in the William C. Powers, Jr. Speaker Series. Gates is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. An Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic and institution builder, he has authored or co-authored 21 books and created 15 documentary films, including "African American Lives" and "Finding Your Roots," his groundbreaking genealogy series now in its third season on PBS. Watch his presentation and his conversation with CSRD Founding Director Dr. Peniel Joseph.

 

Feb. 26, 2020: Sherrilyn Ifill

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy hosted Sherrilyn Ifill, one of the nation's leading scholars on civil rights law and litigation, as the second keynote presenter in the William C. Powers, Jr. Speaker Series. Ifill is the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation's premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. Watch her conversation with CSRD Founding Director Dr. Peniel Joseph.


Jan. 30, 2020: Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy hosted Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad as the inaugural presenter in the William C. Powers, Jr. Speaker Series. Dr. Muhammad, one of the nation’s leading scholars on race, democracy, inequality, and criminal justice, spoke on "The Descent of Democracy and the Promise of African American History."

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad in conversation with Dr. Peniel Joseph
Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad in conversation with Dr. Peniel Joseph.
Left to right: Madi Donham, Ja'nell Ajani, Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Dr. Peniel Joseph, and Emily Dunklee
Left to right: Madi Donham, Ja'nell Ajani, Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Dr. Peniel Joseph, and Emily Dunklee.