How incidents of injustice in the criminal justice system can be a catalyst for political engagement will be the focus of the next Conversations on Race and Policing event.

Mobilized by Injustice: Criminal Justice Contact, Political Participation, and Race,” will feature Hannah L. Walker, assistant professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. Her talk takes its title from her book, “Mobilized by Injustice” (Oxford University Press), which explores the impact of experiences with the criminal justice system on political engagement.

The program will take place on Zoom at noon Wednesday, Feb. 16. It is open to the public and can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://csusb.zoom.us/j/97960458784.

Walker’s research examines the impact of the criminal justice system on American democracy with special attention to minority and immigrant communities. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Texas, she served as an assistant professor of political science and criminal justice at Rutgers University (2017-2020), and a post-doctoral fellow with the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University (2016-2017). She received her Ph.D. in 2016 from the University of Washington.

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. 

Upcoming Conversations on Race and Policing, which take place at noon on Wednesdays on Zoom, include:

The series is organized by CSUSB students Marlo Brooks, Zoralynn Oglesby, Evelyn Jimenez, Jade McDonald, Jaime Castro and Connie Cornejo; Mary Texeira, CSUSB professor of sociology; Jeremy Murray, CSUSB associate 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.

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

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.