Tanya K. Hernández, “Multiracials and Civil Rights: Mixed-Race Stories of Discrimination”

, Room 130

In her new book “Multiracials and Civil Rights: Mixed-Race Stories of Discrimination,” Professor Tanya Katerí Hernández explores the question of how to pursue racial equality in a growing multiracial world. The growth of a mixed-race population has led some commentators to proclaim that multiracial discrimination is distinct in nature from the racial discrimination that non-multiracial persons experience, and that as a consequence a whole new approach to civil rights law is required.Hernández describes her own experience as an Afro-Latina mixed-race person and then shares how she tracked down the court case narratives of multiracial discrimination and the story of racial privilege they revealed.  The stories she uncovered are especially timely.  Coming at a time when explicit racism is resurfacing, Hernández’s look at multiracial discrimination cases is essential for fortifying the focus of civil rights law on racial privilege and the lingering legacy of bias against non-whites, and has much to teach us about how to move towards a more egalitarian society.

This event is free and open to the public. A book sale and signing will follow, as well as a light reception. 

Speaker

Tanya Katerí Hernández is the Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law. She received her A.B. from Brown University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. Professor Hernández is an internationally recognized comparative race law expert and Fulbright Scholar. Hispanic Business Magazine selected her as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics of 2007.