African American & African Diaspora Studies

“Race, Culture, & the Law” kicks off Black History Month!

Posted on February 1, 2023

Dr. Andrea Hunter and Mr. Jerry Blakemore joined Dean Omar Ali in a conversation on “Race, Culture, and the Law” as part of Black History Month events sponsored by AADS and Lloyd International Honors College. The event, which included comments from AADS faculty affiliate Dr. Shelly Brown-Jeffy, in attendance, was held in Curry Building on campus on February 1st at 6 pm. Mr. Blakemore (UNCG General Counsel) lay the legal foundations of race and law in the U.S., with specific regard to higher education, Dr. Hunter (Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Chancellor Fellow for Campus Climate) added the ways in which culture shapes law, and Dr. Ali (Dean of Lloyd International Honors College and AADS Professor) spoke about the construction of race and law across the African Diaspora before opening up the conversation–which included a discussion about intersectionality, the multifaceted ways of being and identifying as Black, code-switching at home and at work, generational differences in the African American community, the recent attacks on AP African American Studies in Florida, among other reactions, the ways in which political movements have propelled changes in the U.S. Supreme Court, and the limits of the law as a source for progress.