Somewhere along the winding arc of the moral universe, claiming not to see race came to be viewed as an ethical stance. In public policy and private life alike, there’s a popular perception that instead of challenging racism and naming the consequences of how race contributes to social hierarchies, we’re better served by ignoring race altogether.

The collection of leading scholars on this panel argue that colourblindness is not a path to racial reconciliation, but in fact a doctrine that obscures and enables the perpetuation of racism.

Countering Colourblindness: Intersectionality and Post-Racialism challenges the public to see race again and confront an unpopular but unavoidable truth: racial stigma and discrimination require race-conscious solutions. Intersectionality, as a way of seeing, thinking and doing, is an analytic tool uniquely situated to excavate and redress the inequality that colorblindness often conceals.

Join us for an eye-opening conversation on the moral and political urgency of daring to see and examine race, and why intersectionality is the lens to restore our collective vision.

Presented by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School (CISPS) and co-sponsored by the Department of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

PANELISTS

Kimberlé Crenshaw is a Professor of Law at Columbia and UCLA. She is a leading authority in the area of Civil Rights, Black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law. She is the co-founder/executive director of the African American Policy Forum and is also the host of the new podcast, Intersectionality Matters. She is a co-editor of the new book Seeing Race Again: Countering Colorblindness Across the Disciplines published by the University of California Press.

Luke Harris is an Associate Professor of American Politics and Constitutional Law at Vassar College. An expert in the field of Critical Race Theory, Harris has authored a series of important essays on questions of racial and gender equality in contemporary America. He is a co-editor of the new book Seeing Race Again: Countering Colorblindness Across the Disciplines published by the University of California Press.

George Lipsitz is an American Studies scholar and Professor in the Department of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of over half a dozen books. He is a co-editor of the new book Seeing Race Again: Countering Colorblindness Across the Disciplines published by the University of California Press.

MODERATORS

Abenaa Owusu-Bempah is as Assistant Professor of criminal law and criminal evidence. Her current research focuses on fair trial rights and the participatory role of defendants in criminal proceedings. Abenaa also has expertise in hate crime legislation and the legal process for prosecuting hate crime.

Sonya Onwu is the Director of the LSE Law Department’s undergraduate Legal Academic Writing Skills (LAWS) programme. Sonya is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has taught a wide range of law modules over the last 15 years, including legal theory, medical ethics, human rights, family law, feminism, and race.

ATTENDANCE AT THIS EVENT IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED AND A TICKET DOES NOT GUARANTEE ENTRY