April 12, 2021

Purdue’s ‘Pursuing Racial Justice Together’ hosting Dr. Shelby Steele on April 20

Shelby-Steele-Photo. Dr. Shelby Steele (Photo Provided)
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Dr. Shelby Steele, the Robert J. and Marion E. Oster Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, author, documentary filmmaker and columnist, will be the featured speaker for the virtual finale of the “Pursuing Racial Justice Together” learning series hosted by Purdue University’s Division of Diversity and Inclusion.

“An Evening with Dr. Shelby Steele” will be held at 7 p.m. ET on April 20. The event will be moderated by John Gates, vice provost for diversity and inclusion. In this discussion, Dr. Steele will discuss the role of race as power in American life.

Those interested in attending can visit the program’s website and register for free virtual tickets and admission instructions. Deadline for registration is 3 p.m. the day of the event.

Dr. Steele was appointed a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution in 1994 and specializes in the study of race relations, multiculturalism and affirmative action. He has written widely on race in American society and the consequences of contemporary social programs on race relations. His work has appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

He is also a contributing editor at Harper's Magazine. Dr. Steele received the Bradley Prize in 2006 for his contributions to the study of race in America. In 2004, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal. In 1991, his work on the documentary “Seven Days in Bensonhurst” was recognized with an Emmy Award along with other accolades. Dr. Steele also received the National Book Critic’s Circle Award in 1990 for his book “The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America.”

"It is wonderful to bring our yearlong learning series to a close with an event featuring Dr. Shelby Steele,” Gates said. “His significant work on the topic of race has positioned him as a leading scholar in this arena, and I look forward to an engaging conversation."

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Writer: Bella Vina

Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates

Source: Michael Armintrout, marmintr@purdue.edu 

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