In the wake of a tumultuous four years under President Donald Trump, the white majority and the nation at large have been forcefully confronted with the stark reality of racism in the United States— long evident to many but ignored by many others. And these last four years have a body count: Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor-- black lives ended by police violence. This is not to mention the latin-x lives, among others, ripped apart by ICE raids; the caged children at the border; the rising rate of hate crimes; the highest amount of federal executions since the 19th century; or the frontline workers, disproportionately people of color, who lost their lives during a global pandemic. Yet, in a moment that seems to demand moral censure, individual accountability, and structural change, many continue to insist upon a policy of color-blindness. This conference is a call to action in the opposite direction.

This conference will feature talks on engaged philosophy of race, broadly construed. It also seeks to platform marginalized or non-traditional perspectives, particularly those stemming from intra-cultural discourse.

Keynote address by Professor José Jorge Mendoza.