This interdisciplinary seminar series hosted by the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳'s Phelan US Centre and the Department of International History will unite historians and political scientists to share current research on the theme of "Race, Gender and Politics in the US in historical and contemporary perspective." Given the current rise in White supremacy, sexism, police brutality, and the global Black Lives Matter movement, scholars will reflect on the longer arch of these issues historically and how their complexity shapes our present moment.
The first seminar, Black Women and Political Leadership in the US, on 26 October 2021, led by Professor Nadia E. Brown (Georgetown) and Dr. Anastasia Curwood (University of Kentucky), will focus on the role of Black women and political leadership, highlighting the links between figures like Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 became the first African American woman to enter Congress and in 1972 became the first African American woman to seek the nomination for president of the US from one of the major political party’s, and current US Vice President Kamala Harris.
The second seminar, The Slow Death of Sagon Penn: Police Violence in Reagan-era San Diego, on 9 November 2021, featuring Dr. Adriane Lentz-Smith (Duke University), will look at police racism and violence in early 1980s San Diego through the case of Sagon Penn.
The third seminar, Jim Crow 2.0: Voter Suppression in the 21st Century, given by Professor Carol Anderson (Emory University), will look at the suppression of voting rights in the 21st century and its intersection with the politics of race.
More information about the seminar series, Race, Gender and Politics in the US.