Published on July 9, 2020
Racial injustice is not a new issue. Segregation and discrimination on the basis of race has long been tied to the built environments across the country, from redlining and restrictive covenants in the mid-1900s, to white flight and suburbanization after World War II, to the current trends of gentrification and displacement in cities throughout the United States. Right now, protests across the country are being shaped by urban design and planning decisions that have perpetuated racial injustice for decades.
Urban@UW is committed to amplifying and supporting the voices of our BIPOC colleagues across the University of Washington and beyond. The following is a curated list of resources from UW faculty addressing the histories of racial injustice in the US, the current Black Lives Matter protests, and the need for deep structural change.
Blog posts, TED Talks, and other stories
- “As a Black mother-to-be, I’m already full of heartache“ (The Boston Globe) – Maya Angela Smith, Associate Professor in French, French and Italian Studies
- “Companies can keep their hollow statements on racism. We need real change“ (Newsweek) – Alexes Harris, University of Washington Presidential Term Professor, Sociology
- “I am breathing, but I’m not OK“ (The Seattle Times) – Ed Taylor, Vice Provost and Dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs; Professor, Education
- “Juneteenth: The growth of an African American holiday“ (BlackPast) – Quintard Taylor, Professor Emeritus, Scott and Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History, History
- “The Mattering of Black Lives“ (Department of Political Science) – Megan Ming Francis, Associate Professor, Political Science
- “These protests feel different because they’re shifting public opinion“ (Vox) – Megan Ming Francis, Associate Professor, Political Science
- UW 2020 Black Graduation Keynote Address (South Seattle Emerald) – LaShawnDa Pittman, Assistant Professor, American Ethnic Studies
- “We need to address the real roots of racial violence“ (TED Talk) – Megan Ming Francis, Associate Professor, Political Science
- “What Black Lives Matter and Black Panthers have in common“ (KUOW) – La TaSha Levy, Assistant Professor, American Ethnic Studies
- “Why is it so hard for white people to talk about race?” (KUOW broadcast) – Robin DiAngelo, Affiliate Associate Professor, Education; and Kyana Wheeler, Affiliate Faculty, Museology
Books
- A Pound of Flesh (Russell Sage) – Alexes Harris, University of Washington Presidential Term Professor, Sociology
- Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State (Cambridge University Press) – Megan Ming Francis, Associate Professor, Political Science
- Radicalizing the Ebony Tower (Teachers College Press) – Joy Williamson-Lott, Professor, Education
- The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle’s Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era (UW Press) – Quintard Taylor, Professor Emeritus, Scott and Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History, History
- The Rising Tide of Color: Race, State Violence, and Radical Movements across the Pacific (UW Press) – Co-published with Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest; Edited by Moon-Ho Jung, Dio Richardson Endowed Professor, History