Race Conference Program

Friday, June 4 Morning Sessions

The Minority Majority: Imbalance in the Criminal Justice System

Minorities continue to be overrepresented at each stage of the criminal justice system. This session will address the extent, causes and consequences of minority overrepresentation and strategies to reduce it.

Presenters:

• Al Blumstein, J. Erik Jonsson University Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research, Carnegie Mellon University
• Marc Mauer, Executive Director, Sentencing Project

The Color of Money: Economic Disparities among the Races

Among the industrialized nations, America has the widest economic gap between rich and poor. Wealth gaps are largest between Whites and African Americans and these gaps have wide-ranging negative effects on the quality of life for poor populations. This session will address strategies to improve the accumulation of wealth among the poor.

Presenters:

• Tom Shapiro, Professor of Law and Social Policy, Brandeis University
• Dalton Conley, Dean of Social Science, New York University

Family Matters: Strengthening the Fabric of Minority Families

Minority families are often challenged in many ways, such as high rates of poverty, single parent households, and high rates of domestic discord and disruption. This session will focus on strategies to lessen these difficulties.

Presenters:

• Ruth McRoy, Donahue and DiFelice Professor, School of Social Work, Boston College
• Oliver Williams, Director, Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community and Professor, University of Minnesota

Sick and Tired: The Reduced Quality of Health Services for Minorities

Efforts to reduce racial disparities in health services have largely met with failure. This session will consider the status of these past strategies and advocate for the most successful ones.

Presenters:

• Jeanette South-Paul, Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
• Thomas A. LaVeist, William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Director, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins University

In the Mix: Multi-Racial Demographics and Social Definitions of Race

Dramatic demographic changes in the United States have occurred in recent decades due to differential birth rates, immigration, shifting social definitions of race, and increasing numbers of multi-racial classifications. This session will describe present and historical changes in racial identity, and provide strategies to move groups towards greater intergroup harmony.

Presenters:

• Howard Hogan, Associate Director for Demographic Programs, US Census Bureau
• Patricia Gurin, Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies, University of Michigan

Friday, June 4 Afternoon Sessions

Community Relations: How Police Interact with Minority

This session will address the problems of community distrust of police, police relations with the citizens they serve, and the destruction of minority communities through high incarceration rates. Strategies for reducing crime, arrests, and incarceration and improving neighborhood safety will be presented.

Presenters:

• David Kennedy, Director of Center for Crime and Violence, City University of New York
• Robin Engel, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, the University of Cincinnati and Director, University of Cincinnati Policing Institute

Help Wanted: Creating Equal Opportunities for Minorities

African-Americans usually have twice the unemployment rates of Whites. The goal of this session is to improve employment and job prospects for minorities.

Presenters:

• Harry Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University
• John Powell, Professor and Executive Director, Kirwin Institute, The Ohio State University

Suspended Reality: Reducing Serious Discipline Problems

In many urban schools, more than half of the minority students are suspended at least once during the academic year. Suspensions greatly reduce school completion rates and increases involvement with the criminal justice system. This session will consider actions that schools, parents, and communities can take to reduce to the number of student suspensions and expulsions.

Presenters:

• Russell Skiba, Professor in Counseling and Educational Psychology, Indiana University
• Pedro Noguera, Professor of Teaching and Learning, the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University

Minority Health: The Social Factors that Determine Health Disparities

Health disparities are due to more than just medical practice. They are also caused by economic disparities, racial bias, education, and other social factors. This session will identify the social determinants of health disparities and ways to bring about greater equity in health for all Americans.

Presenters:

• David Williams, Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
• Sarah Gehlert, E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University

Coming Together: Promoting Harmony among Racial Groups

People in different racial and ethnic groups still have difficulty living and working together. This session will discuss America’s changes in racial attitudes and offer strategies that promote even great racial harmony and justice.

Presenters:

• Larry Bobo, W. E. B. Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University
• Taeku Lee, Professor of Political Science and Law, University of California at Berkeley

Friday, June 4 Evening Session

Keynote address: Dr. Julianne Malveaux

"Are We Post-Racial Yet?"

Time: 7p.m.