This panel brings together prominent scholars of black politics with diverse areas of specialization—social movements, law and U.S. political development, and feminist theory—to address the current era of black protest focused on racial justice and anti-black violence. Almost ten years after the killing of Trayvon Martin gave rise to the “black lives matter” hashtag and following the uprisings spurred by the killings of Michael Brown in 2015 and of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, as well as the violent Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection/white riot at the US capitol and the pivotal role of black activists (especially black women) in the electoral defeat of racist right-wing forces in the 2020 election, how do we assess the accomplishments of the Movement for Black Lives and the challenges it faces? What role does black politics play in U.S. democracy? What are the future prospects for systemic change to the racist politics that have long shaped US democracy?
Panelists:
Shatema Threadcraft (Vanderbilt), Megan Ming Francis (UW), and Deva Woodly (New School)
The conversation was moderated by Prof. Juliet Hooker.
April 6, 2021
Brown University
