Conversations on Race and Policing resumes

“Biopolitics and Necropolitics: Two Models of Race and Racism,” will be the focus of the first Conversations on Race and Policing for the 2023 spring semester.

The talk, by Brad Elliott Stone, professor of philosophy and associate dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, on Zoom.

Free and open to the public, the program can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://csusb.zoom.us/j/97960458784.

Stone’s research focuses on 20th century continental philosophy (especially the work of Martin Heidegger and Michel Foucault) and American neopragmatism (the work of Richard Rorty and Cornel West). He is the co-editor of two anthologies on Richard Rorty (“Rorty and the Religious: Christian Engagements with a Secular Philosopher,” and “Rorty and the Prophetic: Jewish Engagements with a Secular Philosopher”) and co-author of two books on prophetic pragmatism (“Introducing Prophetic Pragmatism” and “Building Beloved Community in a Wounded World”). In addition, he has authored more than 25 articles and book chapters.

Prior being named associate dean, Stone served as director of the master of arts in philosophy program, chair of African American Studies, and director of Loyola’s University Honors Program.

Conversations on Race and Policing, also known as CoRP, began in the aftermath of the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd while in the custody of four Minneapolis, Minn., police officers. A video of the incident posted on social media led to widespread protests, the firing of four police officers, the arrest and conviction of one officer on a second-degree murder and related charges, the other three on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder – and a spotlight worldwide on race and policing.

The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.

More than 50 forums have taken place, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive. 

The series is organized by CSUSB students, staff and faculty, including recent history master of arts graduate, Cecelia Smith; history master of arts student Matt Patino; Mary Texeira, professor emerita, sociology; Jeremy Murray, professor of history; Robie Madrigal, public affairs/communication specialist for the CSUSB John M. Pfau Library; and community member Stan Futch, president of the Westside Action Group.

The spring semester lineup of Conversations on Race and Policing, each at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, includes:

• Feb. 14: “In Conversation with Poet Jacqui Germain.” Germain is a St. Louis-based writer who will read from her debut collection, “Bittering the Wound.” Register for this talk online.
• Feb. 21: “In Conversation with Alec Karakatsanis.” The author of “Unusual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Justice System.” Karakatsanis is a civil rights lawyer and social justice advocate.
• Feb. 28: “In Conversation with Award-Winning Journalist, Cerise Castle.” A journalist, whose works has been featured on NPR, Vice, the Los Angeles Times, Castle is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award.
• March 7: “In Conversation with Dr. Beverly Gage.” A professor of history and American Studies at Yale University, Gage is the author of “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century.” Michael German, a past presenter who is a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice and former FBI special agent, will be the guest host.

For more information, contact Robie Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Jeremy Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.