Addressing systemic racism in our country, communities, and institutions is complicated and difficult. It is something that Duke, like many other institutions of higher learning, has often struggled with. To contribute to the university's ongoing efforts to grapple with these issues, The Graduate School holds a series of conversations on race and bias throughout the academic year. These discussions and talks are aimed at helping the Graduate School community better understand the many facets of systemic racism and bias, and keeping these issues at the forefront of our consciousness as we work together to make Duke a more inclusive and supportive environment. These conversations also highlight the important work that members of our community are doing on issues of race and bias, be it research, advocacy, support, or policy-making.
Recordings of Past EventS
Desegregating Private Higher Ed in the South
October 13, 2020
Researching the Police
November 5, 2020
Maintaining the Momentum Towards a More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Duke
January 28, 2021
Discussing Structural Inequality and Systemic Racism Closer to Home
February 15, 2021
Senior Leaders in Higher Education Address Racism and Bias: A Conversation with Distinguished Duke Alumni
March 9, 2021
Position, Power, and Property: Racial Economic Inequality in the United States
March 24, 2021
Developing an Anti-Racist Graduate Curriculum for Scientists
November 30, 2021
Black Opinions on Black Lives Matter
March 23, 2022
List of Past Conversations
Race and Bias Conversations: Structural Racism and Health: A New Theory-Driven Empirical Approach, with Tyson H. Brown
Thursday, October 28, 2021
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Graduate School's 2021-2022 Race and Bias Conversations series will kick off with a discussion on anti-racism on October 28 at 3:00 p.m. Tyson H. Brown, Associate Professor of Sociology, will lead the conversation. Brown directs the Center on Health & Society and was recently named Duke’s inaugural Presidential Fellow. His research examines the who, when, and how of ethnoracial inequalities in health and wealth.
RCR Forum: Developing an Anti-Racist Graduate Curriculum for Scientists (GS715.03)
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Graduate School's 2021-2022 Race and Bias Conversations series continues with a discussion of anti-racist practices in graduate education, this time led by three current Duke PhD students. The event is open to all members of the Duke community, including alumni. In this event, you’ll hear about best practices for academic departments, including how graduate students in Duke’s Biology department developed a course called BIOLOGY 750S: Introduction to IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism) in Biology.
RCR Forum: Becoming an Upstander (GS 715.02)
Friday, January 14, 2022
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Race and Bias Conversations series kicks off spring 2022 with a highly interactive skill-building workshop. In order to help create a culture of respect and civility, we need to learn how to “step in” when we see harmful or disrespectful behaviors. Through presentation, discussion, and role plays, we’ll consider barriers to intervening, explore different ways we can intervene, and then share tips for moving forward.
Race and Bias Conversation: Black Opinions on Black Lives Matter
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Political science Ph.D. candidate Leann McLaren will discuss her research on how exposure to Black Lives Matter protests affect attitudes among Black Americans about the movement, police killings, and criminal justice reform measures.
Race and Bias Conversation: Antiracism from within Art History
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Art history Ph.D. candidate SaeHim Park will speak about her experience of organizing monthly Anti-Racist Pedagogy Forums in the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies during 2021-22.
Race and Bias Conversations: Desegregating Private Higher Education in the South
A Discussion of Melissa Kean’s Book on Desegregation at Duke, Emory, Rice, Tulane and Vanderbilt
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
After World War II, elite private universities in the American South faced growing calls for desegregation. In this discussion, Dr. Paula D. McClain explores Duke’s history of fighting desegregation, how Duke’s approach differed from its Southern peers, and what those efforts tell us about where Duke is today. Participants should read the book, if possible, so that the discussion can be interactive, and not a lecture.
Race and Bias Conversations: Researching the Police
How Heavily Policed Communities Judge Police, and the Political Effects of Police Violence
Thursday, November 5, 2020
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Policing and its sometimes deadly effects on individuals and communities of color have frequently been at the heart of debates and protests about racism in the United States and around the world. In this discussion, Ph.D. students Ajenai Clemmons and Arvind Krishnamurthy will share their research and offer a deeper exploration of the relationship between the police and the policed.
RCR Forum: Maintaining the Momentum Towards a More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Duke (GS715.01)
Thursday, January 28, 2021
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
What strategies and tools can we employ in order to achieve our goals relative to diversity, equity and inclusion in a context that is full of complexities?
Race and Bias Conversations: Discussing Structural Inequality and Systemic Racism Closer to Home
Monday, February 15, 2021
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Join graduate student group Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) as they engage Dr. Jay A. Pearson, Assistant Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Assistant Research Professor of Global Health, and Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science and Society, and Abdullah Antepli, Associate Professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations and Associate Professor of the Practice of Sanford School of Public Policy, in a discussion about structural inequality and systemic racism, and bringing the conversation closer to home by finding creative ways to look into the policies and principles at Duke.
Senior Leaders in Higher Education Address Racism and Bias: A Conversation with Distinguished Duke Alumni
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The death of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated widening racial disparities in higher education, challenging senior leaders to respond in innovative ways to address these issues on their campuses. In this conversation, distinguished Duke Graduate School alumni Drs. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Senior Advisor to the President and Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of South Florida, and George Wright, Presidential Senior Advisor and Interim Vice President for Institutional Diversity at the University of Kentucky, will discuss their institutions’ efforts in addressing racism, bias, and inclusion. Participants can join in an interactive Q&A during the final 15 minutes.
Position, Power, and Property: Racial Economic Inequality in the United States
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
A Race and Bias Conversation with William A. ("Sandy") Darity Jr., the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics and the director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity.