SPARQ Lab Speaker - Professor Jennifer Richeson

Jennifer Richeson, the Phillip R. Allen Professor of Psychology at Yale University

Title: The Mythology of Racial Progress

Abstract: Our perceptions of, beliefs about, and solutions for, racial inequality in the United States are shaped, at least in part, by a mythology of racial progress. Central to this mythology is the dominant narrative that American society has achieved substantial gains toward racial equality, and is automatically, perhaps naturally, continuing to make steady, linear progress toward the same. In this talk, I argue that our fidelity to this narrative elicits a persistent pattern of willful ignorance regarding some present-day racial disparities, including the wealth gap between Black and White Americans. I will illuminate some of the psychology that sustains the narrative and consequences of efforts to disrupt it. Implications of the mythology of racial progress for efforts to engender actual racial equity in contemporary society will be discussed.

For those who are unable to join us in person, here is the Zoom link:  https://stanford.zoom.us/j/94440276886?pwd=OG5waURTTnFRUUFkaDh3QlpBWkpIUT09Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

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