Race and Equity Scholar to Speak at Duke University MLK, Jr. Event
Durham, NC – Shaun R. Harper, founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania and president-elect of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, will deliver the keynote address for Duke University’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration on Sunday, January 17, 2016.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Justice or Just Us: Who Is Working to Create a More Perfect Union?”
Harper’s research examines racial problems in the United States, equity trends and racial climates on college campuses, black and Latino male student success in schools and social contexts, and college student engagement.
One of his studies looked at educational inequity in Ferguson, Missouri. His forthcoming book, “Race Matters in College” (Johns Hopkins University Press), will address what needs to be done in response to “the persistent racism that people of color experience on most predominantly white campuses.”
Harper said his keynote address “will definitely address the wave of recent student protests. “Given what is happening nationally around issues of race, both in the streets of our cities and communities and certainly what is happening on college campuses including Duke, this will be an extremely relevant and important keynote address.
“The ‘Justice or Just Us’ theme perfectly captures the sentiment of many people of color at predominantly white institutions across the country,” said Harper.
The keynote, which is free and open to the public, begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 17, 2016 in Duke University’s Page Auditorium. Free parking is available in the Bryan Center Parking Garage.
