Butler Center talk to focus on addressing structural racism in higher education

The Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence is inviting the Purdue community to a talk on "Inclusionary Practices: Addressing Structural Racism in Higher Education" with author and professor Nafissa Thompson-Spires on Sept. 18.

Thompson-Spires, the Richards Family Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Cornell University, is an award-winning writer. Her short-story collection, "Heads of the Colored People," won the PEN Open Book Award and was longlisted for the National Book Award. "Heads of the Colored People" grapples with issues of race, identity politics, and the contemporary middle class, shining a light on the tensions and precariousness of what it means to be Black in America.

Two crises have challenged universities: the devastating effects of COVID-19, with the disproportionate impacts on African Americans and the racism faced by Asian Americans, and the racial injustices amplified by the death of George Floyd. The speaker will address racism in institutions of higher education and as appropriate its intersections with sexism, classism, ethnocentrism and homophobia by discussing strategies for transformation. How can institutions of higher education confront racism and address privilege? What kinds of strategic actions -- policies and practices -- can facilitate inclusion? How can leaders remain cognizant about their own positions to address systemic racism?

The live virtual talk is scheduled for noon-1:30 p.m. Sept. 18. All faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend.  

Registration is required and may be completed online. Registrants will receive an email containing the virtual link two days before the session. For more information, contact butlercenter@purdue.edu.