The arrest of 14-year old Ahmed Mohamed at the Independent School District in Irving, Texas illustrates the pervasiveness and normalization of Islamophobic responses that assume guilt before innocence. In this incident, Ahmed’s school principal, Dan Cummings, informed parents in a letter that the police were called to the campus in response to a “suspicious-looking item.” He assured parents … Continue reading »
racial profiling
Banning, yet institutionalizing, racial profiling
Whenever I tell people that I study racial profiling, they exclaim how timely the work is. It is in fact not so much timely as timeless. It seems like there is always a story involving Black suspects and excessive policing. When the specifics are shocking, as in the Garner case, and they gain media attention, … Continue reading »
From Street Harassment to Stop & Frisk: The Need for More Inclusive Public Space
A recent video produced by “Hollaback!”, an organization focused on ending street harassment, has sparked a national conversation about the issue. Filmed from a hidden camera, the short video, which now has over 36 million views, shows a young woman, dressed casually, walking through New York City and receiving over a hundred unwanted passes over … Continue reading »
On the Zimmerman verdict and a personal encounter in Florida
Some of you know me as a professor of astrophysics, and more of you know me as UC Berkeley’s Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion. Since my photo goes with the blog, you also know that I’m older (over 60) with short grey hair, and black. I am motivated to share this story with you … Continue reading »