Building off of its CrossCheck blog, the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is launching CrossCheck Live on Oct. 19 with a discussion about police killings of African Americans.
The program titled “Police Killings of African Americans: What’s Law Got to Do with It?” will run from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Grand Horizons Room of Covel Commons. Admission is free for the event, which is open to everyone at UCLA and the public. (RSVP)
The topic for the inaugural CrossCheck Live was chosen because recent shooting deaths of African Americans across the country at the hands of the police have spurred intense debates about state power and racial justice — issues felt deeply by many members of the UCLA community. The roundtable discussion will address how the law can enable police violence and what can be done about it.
“The CrossCheck blog is a way to address the need for Bruins to be both emotionally brave and intellectually sharp. We need to challenge our preconceptions and go beyond soundbites and slogans to truly understand our complex and conflicted world,” said Jerry Kang, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion at UCLA. “CrossCheck Live extends that mission, allowing us to tap into a broader pool of insight and, in real time, engage faculty, staff and students in dialogue on important issues.”
CrossCheck Live is a project of Bruin X, the division of Kang’s office tasked with translating evidence and theory into practical solutions for equity and inclusion issues at UCLA. Future CrossCheck Live programs will address other urgent issues relevant to the UCLA community. CrossCheck Live is affiliated with UCLA’s “Every/One” initiative, which seeks to create opportunities for members of the UCLA community to engage each other about campus climate matters and related topics.
Speakers at the event will include UCLA law professors Kimberlé Crenshaw and Joanna Schwartz, UCLA history professor Robin D.G. Kelley, and Song Richardson, professor of law and senior associate dean for academic affairs at UC Irvine School of Law. Devon Carbado, UCLA Law professor and associate vice chancellor for BruinX, will moderate.