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Racial Justice
Pregnant Black and Hispanic women more likely to be exposed to coronavirus
Penn researchers found the rate of virus exposure among pregnant Black and Hispanic women to be five times higher than among white and Asian women.
Anti-discrimination task force aims to ‘flatten the hate’
Launched in April, the new Task Force on Supporting Asian and Asian American students and scholars at Penn is offering events, seminars, and resources for countering and reporting stigma and anti-Asian behavior.
Cancel culture on the silver screen
Iconic films like the 1939 blockbuster “Gone With the Wind” are being scrutinized in light of the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice. Cinema studies’ Meta Mazaj says framing films within context is more valuable than erasure and disclaimers.
What happens to a dream deferred? 60-Second Lectures on racial injustice
In an effort to amplify the messages of the recent protests against racist violence, Penn Arts & Sciences created a special series: What Happens to a Dream Deferred? 60-Second Lectures on Racial Injustice.
Police violence, structural racism, and the science of reform
Co-sponsored by LDI and the Penn Injury Science Center, a virtual seminar on Policing, Race and Health: Prospects for Reform kicks off what will be a continuing series of conversations on the topic over the next year.
Michael Hanchard on continuing injustice and the fight for equal protections
The chair and Gustave C. Kuemmerle Professor of Africana Studies, discusses the recent wave of protests following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other unarmed Black women and men across the country.
Children’s literature as ‘seed work’
Penn GSE’s Ebony Elizabeth Thomas discusses the importance of more diverse books for kids and the challenges that continue to stifle early anti-racist learning. She also shares a curated list of recommended books for youth catered to this particular moment.
Jelani Williams is seizing the moment to protest systemic racism
Penn basketball guard Jelani Williams has been going to protests, making his voice heard on campus, and promoting messages of “love and respect.”
What the 1968 Kerner Commission can teach us
Criminologist and statistician Richard Berk, who worked on the report as a graduate student, explains the systemic racism and poverty found to underlie violent unrest in the 1960s and where COVID-19 and the economy fit today.
How to begin talking about race in the workplace
Wharton management professor Stephanie Creary explains her framework for middle managers in corporate environments who would like to initiate conversations about race in the workplace.
In the News
A law meant to bust blight puts Black and Asian American property owners at risk, report warns
A new analysis by the Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic at Penn Carey Law concludes that Philadelphia property conservatorships have come at the expense of vulnerable property owners, particularly Black and Asian American owners. Cara McClellan says that such petitions are filed in communities already at risk for gentrification.
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Pennridge School District has created hostile environment for Black and LGBTQ students, federal complaint says
A federal complaint filed by Penn Carey Law’s Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic asserts that the Pennridge School District has failed to protect children of color and LGBTQ students, with remarks from Cara McClellan.
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America’s blueprint for urban inequity was drawn in Philly. It failed Black Philadelphians
Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta of the Weitzman School of Design sees an opportunity for Philadelphia to reset with an antiracist foundation, using Sankofa urban planning to incorporate Black history as a guide toward the future.
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Affirmative action’s future waits as SCOTUS hears arguments
Cara McClellan of Penn Carey Law calls the claims that race-conscious admissions are unconstitutional a direct attack on more than 40 years of legal precedent.
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‘We’re triaging’: Cops combat violent crime as ranks dwindle
Ben Struhl of the School of Arts & Sciences says that violent crime is rising for reasons separate from social justice protests.
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A councilman in Reading wants the city to implement reparations for slavery
Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences notes that nearly a dozen mayors in cities across the country have pledged to pilot reparations programs in their cities.
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