********THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE*******
The Africana Studies Program and the Provost’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion present George Washington University’s second annual
D.C. Emancipation Day Celebration
featuring
Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
“The New Jim Crow is a stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status—denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement.”
Alexander's talk will be preceded by a panel on "Race, RIghts, and Emancipation in the 21st Century" with the following guests:
Bruce Spiva of The Spiva Law Firm PLLC, is former Chair of the Board of DC Vote, dedicated to voting rights for D.C. residents. He testified before Congress on behalf of the D.C. Voting Rights Act, a bill advocating full congressional representation. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and specializes in complex litigation, including antitrust, consumer protection and class actions.
Edward Hailes, Jr. is Managing Director and Counsel for The Advancement Project and former general counsel for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, directing the agency's historic investigation into voting irregularities in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, and the hearing on police practices and civil rights in New York City after the Amadou Diallo shooting. Hailes served as NAACP counsel for ten years and is a graduate of Howard University School of Law.
Natalie Hopkinson, author of Go-Go Live: The Musical Life and Death of a Chocolate City, is a fellow with the Interactivity Foundation and a contributing editor to The Root DC. She writes and lectures on culture, gentrification and education, and has contributed to the Post, NY Times, Essence, and NPR. She holds a PhD in Journalism from UMD, College Park, and an undergraduate degree in political science from Howard.
Christopher Bracey is Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at George Washington University. He teaches and researches in the legal history of U.S. race relations, constitutional law, criminal procedure, and civil rights. A graduate of Harvard University School of Law, he is the author of Saviors or Sellouts: The Promise and Peril of Black Conservatism, From Booker T. Washington to Condoleezza Rice.
Book signing and light reception following lecture
Additional sponsorship from The George Washington University School of Law, The Columbian School of Arts and Sciences, The American Studies Department, The Department of Sociology, The University Writing Program, and the D.C. Archives