Events at Carleton

Apr 28

One Year Later: George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, & the White Backlash

Sociologist, racism researcher, and writer Ted Thornhill reflects on the past year.

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Dr. Ted Thornhill

Register for One Year Later: George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and the White Backlash.

Ted Thornhill is an associate professor of sociology and founding director of the Center for Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. His research examines racist and antiracist policies and practices within organizations. He has published in journals such as Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Urban Education, the American Journal of Sociology, and Sociology Compass and popular outlets including The Conversation, The Grio, and Inside Higher Ed. He is the author of the widely reviewed article, “We Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Black Prospective Students.” Thornhill’s research and teaching has been covered by numerous media outlets including CNN, The Washington Post, The Root, The Boston Globe, npr, BBC, and Forbes. He received a BA in sociology and ethnic studies from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s in applied social research from Florida State University. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Thornhill will discuss what transpired since four, now former, Minneapolis police officers tortured and executed George Floyd nearly a year ago. In the midst of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests ignited by Floyd’s murder, and in the weeks and months that followed, corporations, municipalities, non-profit organizations, college and universities, and other social collectives released public statements and made commitments to enact anti-racist changes. Thornhill will offer an analysis of these statements and commitments to answer the following questions: What anti-racist changes occurred? Were they symbolic, substantive, or both?  Where did they occur? And, how durable are these changes, one year later, with the white backlash in full effect?

Sponsored by Office of Intercultural and International Life. Contact: bruceyang, Office of Intercultural and International Life