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.
List of 2021-2022 Conversations
Recordings of Past Conversations
Help Us Plan Future Conversations
Events will be added to the list below as they are confirmed. We welcome suggestions from members of the Duke Graduate School community for future conversation topics in this series. We also welcome volunteers who may want to share their relevant work or lead a discussion at a future session. Please send us your ideas, and we will follow up if we decide to pursue a suggestion.
2021-2022 Series
Click on each event to learn more and register. You can also view recordings of past events.
- Thursday, October 28, 20213:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Race and Bias Conversations: Structural Racism and Health: A New Theory-Driven Empirical Approach, with Tyson H. Brown
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.
- Tuesday, November 30, 20212:30 pm to 4:00 pm
RCR Forum: Developing an Anti-Racist Graduate Curriculum for Scientists (GS715.03)
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.
- Friday, January 14, 20221:00 pm to 2:30 pm
RCR Forum: Becoming an Upstander (GS 715.02)
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.
Recordings of Past Events
- October 13, 2020: Desegregating Private Higher Ed in the South
- November 5, 2020: Researching the Police
- January 28, 2021: Maintaining the Momentum Towards a More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Duke
- February 15, 2021: Discussing Structural Inequality and Systemic Racism Closer to Home
- March 9, 2021: Senior Leaders in Higher Education Address Racism and Bias: A Conversation with Distinguished Duke Alumni
- March 24, 2021: Position, Power, and Property: Racial Economic Inequality in the United States
- November 30, 2021: Developing an Anti-Racist Graduate Curriculum for Scientists