"The New Jim Crow" Author Michelle Alexander to Speak

SPOKANE, WASH. — Gonzaga University presents “A Conversation with Michelle Alexander” on Monday, Feb. 28, 6-7:30 p.m. via webinar.

Alexander is the New York Times bestselling author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," which, 10 years after its publishing, continues to provide meaningful insights on the U.S. justice system and the essential work to end racial caste in America. Over the last decade, she has delivered powerful messages with equal force and candor about racial injustice in the modern legal system to reveal how mass incarceration has come to replace segregation.

A legal scholar and visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary, Alexander explores the myths surrounding our criminal justice system from a racial and ethical standpoint, and offers solutions for combating this epidemic. She offers an emphatic wake-up call from the “colorblind slumber” of the nation and leaves audiences with a new perspective on the challenges facing the civil rights community and a rousing call-to-action for a multi-racial, multi-ethnic human rights movement for justice in America.

Over the years, Alexander’s work has been discussed in classrooms across the nation, including many at Gonzaga.

“We are thrilled to bring Michelle Alexander to speak with our Gonzaga community and the wider Spokane community. Her book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the inequities in our criminal justice system,” said Michele Fukawa, interim director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights at Gonzaga’s School of Law. The Center has aided the university in bringing other renown speakers to campus, including Claudia Rankine, Patrisse Cullors and Kimberle Crenshaw.

Those in interested in joining the webinar must register in advance for access: gonzaga.edu/michelle-alexander.

Thanks to the following partners for funding this opportunity: Gonzaga School of Law’s Center for Civil and Human Rights; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Unity Multicultural Education Center; and the College of Arts & Sciences.