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The New Culture Wars: Social Media Use & Racial Discourse

September 8, 2022

Dr. Apryl Williams,  Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies at the University of Michigan

Racial trouble and civil unrest reached a new peak after the 2016 presidential election. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor ushered in a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement during the spring and summer of 2020. At the same time, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on widespread anti-Asian sentiment in the US. People have deeply emotional views on both sides of the issue yet, having an exchange of ideas has become increasingly difficult, especially online. This lecture will explore why it can be emotionally triggering to talk about race and how imbalanced the burden of emotional labor can be when constrained by social conventions of civility. Williams will cover research highlighting gendered roles in heated racial discussions and explore how we might step into anti-racism framing, discourse, and living.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity; the Women’s & Gender Resource Center; and the departments of anthropology; film & media studies; psychology; sociology; women’s, gender & sexuality studies and the American Association of University Women. This program was initiated by the Clarke Forum’s student project managers.

For more information, please visit: https://www.clarkeforum.org/thursday-september-8-2022/

 

Further information

  • Location:
  • Time: 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm Calendar Icon
  • Cost: Free