Diversity, Topic of 2013-2014 Nelson Speaker Series

Exploring diversity challenges our thinking and invites us to glimpse the world of others and, perhaps, be enlightened.

The 2013-2014 Bruce J. Nelson ’74 Distinguished Speaker Series at Harvey Mudd College will explore how diversity has shaped and will shape advances in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Invited speakers—respected scholars, educators and scientists—will share ideas about how to broaden participation and reduce discrimination in STEM and beyond.

Themed “Illuminating the Blind Spots,” the series will begin Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. with a lecture by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, chair of the sociology department at Duke University and author of Racism Without Racists.

In his talk, “The (White) Color of Color Blindness: How Race Matters in ‘Post-Racial’ America,” Bonilla-Silva will address the definition of racism and suggest that a new regime he labels “the new racism” emerged in the early 1970s and is responsible for the reproduction of racial inequality. He will also discuss “color-blind racism,” the racial ideology that glues racial matters in “post-racial” America. He plans to connect the dots by highlighting how all these elements limit racial progress in STEM and in the nation.

Bonilla-Silva’s research interests include racial stratification, social theory, critical race methods and political sociology. He’s written several books, including White Supremacy and Racism in the Post-Civil Rights Era, Racism Without Racists, White Out: The Continuing Significance of Racism and State of White Supremacy: Racism, Governance and the United States. His awards include the Lewis Coser Award (2007) and the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award (2011). He earned his bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and his master’s and doctorate in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Other speakers in the 2013-2014 Nelson Series include:

Kelly Mack – Thursday, Oct. 24

Executive Editor, Project Kaleidoscope, Association of American Colleges and Universities
“That None Shall Perish”

Joan Roughgarden – Monday, Nov. 11

Adjunct Professor, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii
Professor Emerita, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University
“Straight White Passionate Males and Coy Females: The Others on Earth and in Heaven”

Jocelyn Goldfein – Wednesday, Jan. 29

Director of Engineering, Facebook

The Dr. Bruce J. Nelson ’74 Distinguished Speaker Series was established in 2000 through the visionary philanthropy of the family of the late Bruce J. Nelson ’74. Designed to offer social, economic and political considerations into global problems that pose difficult technical challenges, the series brings to campus diverse and prominent experts to speak on various topics of interest.

Admission to this public lecture series is complimentary and reservations are strongly encouraged due to limited seating. Events are held in the lecture hall of the R. Michael Shanahan Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvey Mudd College located at 320 E. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. Welcome receptions begin at 7 p.m. on the Shanahan Center’s north terrace.

Visit the Nelson Series webpage for more information about the series and to RSVP, or call the Office of Stewardship and Events at [tel]909.575.8175[/tel].