Race in 21st Century Americas

The Twelfth Biennial Race in 21st Century Americas Conference

2022 Theme: “Race and Rights: Empowering Our Communities”

The Race Conference is a crucial part of Michigan State’s history. It historically brings together leading scholars and community activists from around the nation, with a diversity of racial, ethnic, and ideological approaches, to have important conversations about race.  The first conference was held in 1999 under the leadership of Professor Emeritus Curtis Stokes, and he continued organizing and participating in the conference up until his retirement in 2019. Under his leadership, scholars, policy makers and activists such as Ronald Takaki, Cornel West, Michelle Alexander, Patricia Hill Collins, Juliane Malveaux, Ward Churchill, Charles Mills, and Rashida Tlaib have visited campus to lend their expertise on important race-related issues.

This year's theme is in part a response to the historical moment we are living in, building on a renewed energy of activists, educators, movement makers and policy creators. We want to continue the conversations around fundamental rights of citizens and human beings of various spaces in the Americas. As colonialism and capitalism remain the primary of racialized experiences; we continue to resist and reclaim our humanity.

If you would like to contribute to the continuing work of the Conference, building it as an initiative, and expanding our reach, please visit our Fundraising Page and give whatever you can.  

The following channel features four virtual scholarly panels that feature scholar activists in a variety of forms.

1. Round table with Corpos Indóceis e Mentes Livres, Restless Bodies, Free Minds

2. Discussion : Naima Penniman and Soul Fire Farms, with shane bernardo 

3. Panel: "Perspectives on Community Policing"  featuring, Dr. Jennifer Cobbina, School of Criminal Justice - MSU, Chief Marlon Lynch, Vice President for Public Safety, Chief of Police - MSU, and Tashmica Torok Executive  Co-Founding Director, The FireCracker Foundation; Moderated by Abigail Dejene, JMC, MSU. 

4. Final Keynote: "The Ugliness of the Colonial Mentality and of Colonial Institutions," Dr. Vijay Prashad