The Durban Review Conference: Hopefully More Than Words
The Durban Review Conference, the world conference on racism, took place the week of April 20, with fewer participants than initially expected. Joining the United States, Israel, Canada, Italy, and Australia in announcing boycotts one weekend before the start of the conference were Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. Kirwan staff member Lidija Knuth was on hand at the conference to lend insight.
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Oral arguments in Supreme Court Case Ricci vs. Stephano
The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in the case of Ricci vs. Stephano. Stephan Menendian prepared an analysis of the arguments.
Events and Presentations
Law School Celebrates Kirwan Anniversary
Moritz College of Law students, faculty, and staff joined Kirwan Institute staff for a celebration of the institute's fifth anniversary on Thursday, March 19, at the Moritz College of Law. Speakers included Moritz Law Professor john powell, executive director of the Kirwan Institute and the Gregory H. Williams chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and Jason Reece, senior researcher for Geographic Information Systems/Housing and Regional Policy at the Kirwan Institute.
Race, Drugs, and the New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander, Ph.D., associate professor of Law at the Moritz College of Law and joint appointee with the Kirwan Institute, delivered a lecture titled Race, Drugs, and the New Jim Crow, also the subject of her new book scheduled for publication later this year. Alexander discussed how the War on Drugs has targeted black men for incarceration and then relegated them to a permanent, second-class status in which they can be denied the right to vote, excluded from juries, and discriminated against (legally) in employment, housing, education, and access to public benefits. Her lecture was presented at the Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center, 905 Mt. Vernon Ave.
The Somali Diaspora
The Somali experience and issues related to refugees and human rights were the topics of a recent discussion led by photographer and Columbus resident Abdi Roble and writer Doug Rutledge, both of the Somali Documentary Project. Roble and Rutledge collaborated on the new book, The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2008). The presentation, sponsored by the Kirwan Institute, was featured in a detailed article in The Lantern.
Symposium Explores Racial Issues
"Possibilities for a Post-Racial Nation/World in the Obama Era" was the title of a symposium presented by the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), the Kirwan Institute, the Office of Minority Affairs, and the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center at the AAAS Community Extension Center on Mt. Vernon Ave. on April 24. Four Kirwan Institute staff were among the 17 speakers featured on topics ranging from spirituality to structural racism to global perspectives.
Perspectives on Ohio’s Death Penalty
The death penalty continues to be one of the most contentious issues in the United States. The ongoing debate on this issue is especially relevant in Ohio, which has a long history with the death penalty and has carried out a total of 371 executions. On Saturday, May 9, a group of panelists representing different viewpoints (including Associated Press Reporter Andrew Welsh-Huggins, author of a recent book on the subject) explored the impact of the death penalty in a panel discussion at the Moritz College of Law. Panel moderator was Andrew Grant-Thomas, deputy director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Read Grant-Thomas' Kirwan Blog post about the event. View photos from the event.
Kirwan Conference Slated for Early 2010
"Transforming Race: Crisis and Opportunity in the Age of Obama" will be the title of the Kirwan Institute’s semi-annual conference, slated for March 2010. The conference will focus on the world, both domestic and international, after the 2008 presidential election. Watch for upcoming information in the Kirwan Institute's eUpdate, Update, and at the web site.
Kirwan in Print
Elsadig Elsheikh, research associate for the Kirwan Institute’s international program, is author of the recently-published book Darfur: Domesticating Coloniality: The Failure of the Nation-State Model in Post-Colonial Sudan. (VDM Verlag Dr. Muller: December 12, 2008).
Andrew Grant-Thomas, deputy director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, is co-editor of Twenty-First Century Color Lines: Multiracial Change in Contemporary America, published by Temple University Press.
Hasan Kwame Jeffries, assistant professor of history and joint appointee at the Kirwan Institute, is the editor of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt. The book will be released on July 1, by New York University Press.
Kirwan Online
Kirwan staff recently weighed in on the issues of our time:
RaceWire.org published an opinion piece by Andrew Grant-Thomas about Attorney General Eric Holder’s race speech. View article on RaceWire.org >>
TheRoot.com published an opinion piece by john powell on why the United States should attend the World Conference on Racism. View article on TheRoot.com >>
On the Road with Kirwan: Speaking Engagements Calendar
Kirwan speakers also have been featured at conferences, symposiums, and other presentations across the country. Access the latest list of presentations, including images and slides.
Grants and Awards
A new six-month study beginning this month will identify new strategies for assuring fair housing in the wake of the housing and foreclosure crisis. The research, entitled “The New Era in Fair Housing,” was funded by a $300,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan. The study will be conducted by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University.
Kirwan was funded as a sub-consultant to the Northwest Justice Project to conduct opportunity mapping for King County, Washington (Seattle). The work will begin in May and end in August. Funding comes from the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) in Washington, D.C.
The Kirwan Institute also will work with the Harvard School of Public Health to expand their DiversityData web site, a data project focused on indicators of racial/ethnic diversity and equity.
Call for Papers
Calls for papers for the next three issues of the Kirwan Journal, Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, are available at the Race/Ethnicity web site. Topics are “Human Rights, Social Justice, and the Impact of Race,” “Intersections of Race and Gender,” and “Mediating Race and Labor.” |
