UC Symposium Examines Challenges to Racial Equality In U.S., Europe

The University of Cincinnati will convene an interdisciplinary conference on the challenges to racial equality faced by Europe and the United States from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, April 13, at the African American Cultural and Resource Center. 

Today, these two polities stand at similar crossroads, framed on one hand by an aspirational equality that both have struggled to realize and on the other hand by a reactionary conservatism that manifests as xenophobia, nationalism, and populism. The conference will draw experts on both sides of the Atlantic from anthropology, communications, culture studies, law, media studies, political science, and sociology.

The panels will explore the following topics:

• Critical race theory and racial formation
• Intersectionality, civil society, and social movements
• Representation and media
• Remedies, government enforcement, and private litigation
  

The two-day event begins with a screening of the documentary film “

Trapped by Law

,” at 5 p.m., Thursday, April 12, at the Esquire Theatre.  The documentary tells the story of two Roma brothers who grew up in Germany and suddenly were deported to Kosovo. The film follows them over five years, showing their struggle to return to their friends and family in Germany.   Learn more about the film:

Trapped By Law

.  A panel discussion will follow.

The conference features keynote speaker

Professor Cheryl Harris

, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, UCLA School of Law. Professor Harris was a key organizer of several major conferences that helped establish a dialogue between U.S. legal scholars and South African lawyers during the development of South Africa’s first democratic constitution. The work played a significant role in the production of her influential work, “Whiteness as Property”.

Harris has lectured widely on issues of race and equality at leading institutions here and abroad, including in Europe, South Africa, and Australia. Her scholarship examines the issue of how racial frames shape our understanding and interpretation of significant events like Hurricane Katrina, admissions policies, and anti-discrimination law.

Click here to register and to see the schedule:

2018 Racial Equality

This event is presented by UC's Department of European Studies, Department of German Studies, the Taft Research Center, the Office of Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact, and the Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice at Cincinnati Law.