Fifth annual Race in America lecture series begins Oct. 1 at 91传媒
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥91传媒鈥檚 fifth annual interdisciplinary lecture series鈥擱ace in America鈥攌icks off Oct. 1 with a keynote lecture from alumnus Deadric T. Williams.
Williams鈥 talk, 鈥淩acial Inequality in Poverty: Towards a Critical Race Approach,鈥 will be held at 3 p.m. in the Honors Forum Room on Griffis Hall鈥檚 fourth floor.
鈥淥ver the past five years, we have had the honor of hosting at 91传媒 more than 20 race scholars from across the country,鈥 said event chair Margaret Hagerman, an 91传媒 assistant professor of sociology. 鈥淭his year, we are really excited to first host Dr. Williams.鈥
In 2006, Williams earned his 91传媒 bachelor鈥檚 degree in English and three years later earned a master鈥檚 degree in sociology. He earned a Ph.D. in sociology in 2014 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he now teaches in the Department of Sociology.
Williams will discuss how family structure as 鈥渃ause鈥 remains a dominant and enduring explanation for persistent racial inequities. He has reviewed studies focusing on the economic benefits of marriage and on social selection processes that 鈥渟elect鈥 individuals into non-marital relationships. These studies, he said, fail to explain the racial gap in poverty.听
鈥淚 recast this line of research using Critical Race Theory,鈥 Williams said. 鈥淯sing panel data, the results show race, family structure and risks intersect to shape disparate poverty outcomes across racialized groups. I urge scholars to theorize race and racism to advance our understanding of race and poverty in the U.S.鈥
The second Race in America lecture will feature Theodore E. 鈥淭ed鈥 Thornhill, an associate professor at Florida Gulf Coast University who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2011.
鈥淲e Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Black Prospective Students鈥 will take place Nov. 12 at 4 p.m., also in the Griffis Honors Forum Room.
鈥淒r. Thornhill鈥檚 work on racism and educational institutions is very compelling,鈥 Hagerman said, noting his work has been featured in outlets such as Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and Inside Higher Ed.
鈥淢ost historically and predominantly white institutions now desire some number of black students on their campuses,鈥 Thornhill said. 鈥淗owever, recent theoretical scholarship suggests that HPWIs鈥 desire for and willingness to embrace black students is predicated on their racial palatability.鈥
Thornhill will discuss his recent study that found white admissions counselors are more responsive to deracialized and racially apolitical black students than they are to those who reveal a commitment to antiracism and racial justice. Thornhill鈥檚 presentation also will highlight what his research suggests not only for college admissions and higher education, but the practices of white-administered organizations more broadly.听
鈥淲e are very fortunate to have both of these incredible scholars on our campus this semester,鈥 Hagerman said.
The Race in America lecture series is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology and the Marion T. Loftin Fund. The lectures are free and open to the public.
91传媒鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,300 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments. Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences and its Department of Sociology can be found at聽 and .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽.听