Oct. 27, 5:30 pm, AZ Time (virtual)

The media and the public are abuzz on the topic of critical race theory (CRT). But why now? The concept known as critical race theory has been around for decades. Critics argue that CRT fosters divisions among groups of people. Proponents assert that CRT addresses racial inequalities. What exactly is critical race theory? How did this academic theory born in the 1970s become so widely known today? How does a critical race theory lens impact the way people learn and understand culture and history? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Rashad Shabazz as he unpacks terms, dispels misconceptions, and explains the origins and evolution of critical race theory. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rashad Shabazz is Associate Professor in the School of Social Transformation and the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning at Arizona State University. His teaching and research include race relations, social justice movements, and the relationship of race and place. He is the expert on how race, sexuality, and gender are informed by geography. With an interdisciplinary approach, his academic work brings together human geography, Black cultural studies, gender studies, and critical prison studies. Dr. Shabazz’s most recent book publication, Spatializing Blackness (2015), examines the impact of carceral power on the geographies of African Americans in Chicago’s South Side.