UC Alum, Stanford Professor Talks Race and Policing At April 7 Lecture

The University of Cincinnati community and the general public are welcome to attend an upcoming lecture by UC alumna and Stanford University Professor Jennifer Eberhardt.

Jennifer Eberhardt will be on the UC campus on April 7. Her lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Richard E. Lindner Center, Room 450. Please use this link to register for the free event.

 Her lecture is entitled, “Policing and Protecting Black Lives in the 21st Century.”

Eberhardt wrote, “Despite our desire to be egalitarian, racial bias fundamentally alters our perceptions and judgments. In this talk, I will discuss how the stereotypic association of African Americans with criminality can influence actors at all stages of the criminal justice system. I will argue that the black-crime association influences how both ordinary citizens and police officers perceive and analyze the people and objects they encounter.  

“For example, the mere presence of a black face enhances people’s ability to detect degraded images of weapons. The association of blacks with criminality determines whose faces capture our attention. Racial bias has deep roots and broad consequences, yet there are ways we can address it. I will discuss promising interventions in the policing industry in particular.”

“McMicken is very fortunate to have Dr. Eberhardt back on campus,” said Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Jennifer Malat. “We’re excited to offer an opportunity for the community to hear about her research in racial bias. We hope that everyone will be inspired by her efforts to help address the issues we are experiencing in the American criminal justice system.”  

About Jennifer Eberhardt

Jennifer Eberhardt received a B.A. (1987) from the University of Cincinnati, an A.M. (1990) and Ph.D. (1993) from Harvard University. From 1995 to 1998, she taught at Yale University in the Departments of Psychology and African and African American Studies. She joined the Stanford faculty in 1998, and is currently an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and co-director of SPARQ, a university initiative to use social psychological research to address pressing social problems.

About the McMicken Lecture Series

UC’s McMicken Lecture series is the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences’ signature showcase for excellence in scholarship among the college’s faculty and alumni. The lecture series gives the campus community and the general public the opportunity to listen to nationally-known guest speakers and UC scholars regarding their views on issues facing humanity.