John B. Diamond to Examine Ongoing Legacy of White Supremacy and Opportunity Hoarding in U.S. Education Systems in 19th Annual Brown Lecture on November 3
John B. Diamond to Examine Ongoing Legacy of White Supremacy and Opportunity Hoarding in U.S. Education Systems in 19th Annual Brown Lecture on November 3
 
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August 2022

In his Brown Lecture on November 3, John B. Diamond, professor of sociology and education policy in Brown University’s Department of Sociology and Annenberg Institute for School Reform, will highlight how white supremacy is deeply embedded in U.S. educational organizations and the ways that opportunity hoarding sustains it.

In his lecture, titled “Defending the Color Line: White Supremacy, Opportunity Hoarding, and the Legacy of Brown,” Diamond will shift the intellectual gaze from the aspirational progress narratives often associated with Brown to the racial hierarchies and various forms of harm that schools (even integrated ones) continue to reproduce. Taking the recent attacks against critical race theory as a backdrop, Diamond will argue that schools not only contribute to educational inequity but are race-making institutions that socialize people into relations of racial domination and subordination through institutional practices and individual actions.

“During tumultuous times for the country and its education systems, we are fortunate to hear and learn from Dr. Diamond in this year’s Brown Lecture,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “His robust scholarship, nuanced insights, and breadth of knowledge will make the lecture a ‘must see’ event.”

Diamond is a leading scholar in the study of race in education and how it shapes instruction and learning in U.S. schools and school systems. His research focuses on the relationship between social inequality and educational opportunity, examining how leadership, policies, and practices shape students’ educational opportunities and outcomes.

During his lecture, Diamond will grapple with questions like: How can we reimagine Brown’s legacy, given the permanence of racism? How can we understand the role of what bell hooks described as "imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" in shaping current educational controversies and struggles? How can our understanding of education as a tool of racial domination embolden our efforts to build more liberatory educational projects?

The Brown Lecture will be delivered to a small audience in Washington, D.C. (due to COVID precautions) and broadcast live on Thursday, November 3, 6:00–7:30 p.m. ET. Diamond’s talk will be immediately followed by a moderated discussion forum with an opportunity for virtual audience Q&A. The livestreamed event is open to the public, and there is no cost to register for the livestream.