All summer long, WBEZ embarked on a series of in-depth stories, honest discussions, and lively public events called “Race: Out Loud.”

Join WBEZ, the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago for the final culminating event in this important series about the state of race relations in Chicago and our region.

WBEZ’s “Race: Out Loud” series marks the 20th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s famous book, Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession, and raises difficult questions about the past and present state of race in our region - from persistent segregation in our schools, to huge demographic changes in our neighborhoods, to complex racial differences in our social lives and even in our own families.

This final event will explore the questions: What’s changed since Terkel’s “Race” was published in 1992?  What has not changed?  How do the questions Studs asked - about segregation, stereotypes, opportunity, and hope - make sense in our increasingly diverse time and place?

A prestigious panel will share their thoughts to help us grapple with the complex topics raised by WBEZ’s “Race Out Loud.” Come and listen to provocative audio excerpts from the summer series, discuss your favorite stories, and share your own ideas about what we’ve learned and where to go from here.

UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming response for this event, pre-registration has now closed. A wait list will be taken on-site at the event. Guests that have not pre-registered will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis. (posted 9/17/12)

Light refreshments will be served at a reception to follow.

ABOUT THE PANEL:
Michael Dawson is the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. His books include Not In Our Lifetimes: The Future of Black Politics, Behind the Mule: Race and Class in African-American Politics, and Black Visions: The Roots of Contemporary African-American Political Ideologies, which won the prestigious Ralph Bunche Award from the American Political Science Association. Dawson has been interviewed extensively by media including the Washington Post, The Economist, The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, BBC, CNN, BET, and ABC News.

Maria (Nena) de Los Angeles Torres is Director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her books include In the Land of Mirrors: Cuban Exile Politics in the US, The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the US and the Promise of a Better Future and Borderless Borders: U.S. Latinos, Latin Americans, and the Paradox of Interdependence. Torres served as Executive Director of Mayor Harold Washington’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs from 1983 to 1987.

Roberto G. Gonzales is Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. His interests include immigration, urban poverty, youth civic involvement, and Latino communities and families. Gonzales is currently involved in a study of undocumented immigrant young adults in Los Angeles and comparative projects on immigrant youth in the U.S. and Europe. He has served on several local and national boards, including the Crossroads Fund and the American Friends Service Committee.

Maria Krysan is Professor of Sociology and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at UIC. Her research on racial residential segregation and racial attitudes uses innovative video experiments, focus groups, and in-depth interviews.  She is co-author of Racial Attitudes in America: Trends and Interpretations and The Changing Terrain of Race and Ethnicity. Krysan’s work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Russell Sage Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.

Laura Washington (Moderator) is a nationally-known, Chicago-based journalist, author and educator specializing in African-American affairs and politics. She is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a political analyst for ABC-7 television. Washington served as Publisher of The Chicago Reporter Magazine and as a Fellow at the DePaul University Humanities Center.