Tensions increased as protests broke out in Ferguson and across the country, calling attention to the controversial subject of race relations in the United States. Many Americans came to critically review the police response, both to Michael Brown’s death and to subsequent protests.
Thursday, Jelani Cobb, director of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut, will visit The University of Alabama to discuss the issues of race and the criminal justice system in his lecture, “The Two Browns: Civil Rights in the Age of Ferguson and Obama.”
In addition to his work at the University of Connecticut, Cobb is a contributor at The New Yorker and a commentator on CNN, NPR and MSNBC.
Joshua Rothman, professor of history and African American studies and one of the faculty members involved in planning the lecture, said he expects the lecture to be both informative and interesting.
“He not only produces fine historical analysis, but was also on the ground reporting from Ferguson and has presented a series of eloquent essays about events there and elsewhere that have really set him apart,” Rothman said.
He said as violence becomes more a part of daily life in parts of the country, this talk will give Alabama students a chance to consider their views of law enforcement and safety in their communities.
“The racial biases in our criminal justice system have created an environment in which young black men in particular are monitored by state authorities rather than protected by them,” Rothman said.
Utz McKnight, associate professor of political theory, said he sees the universality of this issue.
“A lot of people feel very vulnerable, and there is an obligation within the whole community to address this, one because people are being killed, and two because the police feel vulnerable, like they are being looked at with hatred and fear,” he said. “There is no doubt that if we do nothing, incidents like MB will continue to happen.”
Cobb’s lecture will be held Thursday in the Morgan Hall Auditorium from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
