Race, Social Justice, and Higher Education Today: How Racist Are Universities, Really?

In a recent Chronicle of Higher Education essay, Harvard Law School Professor Randall Kennedy poses the question: “How Racist Are Universities, Really?” In it, he argues that in these volatile times, “hyperbolic accusations” can “do more harm than good.” Kennedy believes that the racial reckonings of the current moment drawing attention to “racial inequity,” and “demanding the redress of long-neglected racial wrongs” are vitally important to American society today in ways that can bring about positive change. He is concerned, however, that this laudable moment of “anti-racist activism” has also been “shadowed by a rise in complacency and opportunism” that weakens the struggle for the rectification of racial injustice. Among the “hyperbolic accusations” of racism, he includes certain allegations against universities.

Are universities systemically racist? Will recent university policies designed to address claims of racial bias on campus inhibit academic freedom? Join us for a conversation with Professor Randall Kennedy to address this important topic.