University News

"The Color of Life in a Time of Crisis: Thinking through Racial Disparities during COVID-19"

Published: June 19, 2020 | Categories: All News, Law

A virtual panel discussion presented by the Center for Social Justice

Blake Law Center entrance

The Western New England University School of Law's Center for Social Justice will host "The Color of Life in a Time of Crisis: Thinking through Racial Disparities During COVID-19" on Thursday, June 25 from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. EST. This event is free and open to the public with registration.

A nationally-curated group of panelists will be speaking about the inequalities COVID-19 has laid bare related to race. "This virtual panel is an opportunity to not only reflect on the racial specific conditions of Covid-19 but gives us a chance to chart new paths in planning for the disparate impacts of health pandemics more broadly," explains Professor of Law at Western New England University and moderator for this event, Dr. Bridgette Baldwin. "This could be the foundation for building a new social welfare agenda."

The panel will include:
Dr. Davarian Baldwin, Trinity College
"The Urban Contours of Racial Disparity under COVID-19"

Dr. Matthew Clair, Stanford University
"Mass criminalization, health, and racial injustice"

Dr. Neenah Estrella-Luna, Salem State University
"Latinx Communities in the Time of COVID: Essential, Invisible, and Expendable"

Anthony Paul Farley, Albany Law School
"Necropolitics and COVID-19"

Dr. Lingyan Yang, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
"Sinophobia, A Dividing Idea for the Post-pandemic America and the World"

"I am tremendously excited about this upcoming panel which aligns closely with the Center's mission of advancing justice through research, advocacy, education, and public engagement," says Center Director, Ariel Clemmer. "Racial justice is not only a key aspect of our work, but we hope that this topic, and others we are planning in the coming months, will spark meaningful conversation to help enact change in today's challenging times."

Launched in 2019, the University's Centennial year, the Center for Social Justice is designed to strengthen collaborative efforts between the School of Law and the region to work toward a more just, equitable, and inclusive society in its next century of service. The Center provides a centralized hub of activity and innovation for the School of Law's justice-related teaching, scholarship, and service by broadening social justice academic offerings, engaging students and faculty in public interest and pro bono projects, and working closely with community organizations and partners to identify and address unmet needs that require a multi-dimensional response cutting across law and other fields.

This event is sponsored by Fair Housing and Civil Rights Conference and Western New England University School of Law Center for Social Justice. Register here.

For more information, contact Ariel Clemmer at ariel.clemmer@law.wne.edu or Bridgette Baldwin at bbaldwin@law.wne.edu or visit the Western New England University Center for Social Justice.