Racial foundations of criminal justice policy

Racial Foundations of Public Policy is a fall 2021 virtual speaker series that focuses on the historical roots and impact of race in shaping public policy as both a disciplinary field and as a course of action. The series will bring in renowned scholar-experts from across the country to be in conversation with Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, director of the Center for Racial Justice at the Ford School of Public Policy. The series is open to all members of the University of Michigan community and the wider public.

Dr. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve will join us virtually to discuss the racial foundations of criminal justice and public policy. Dr. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Brown University. Professor Gonzalez Van Cleve focuses on theoretically innovating how the variable of race is treated within the field of criminal justice and the social sciences. Learn more about Dr. Gonzalez Van Cleve here. 

Faculty Expert

Celeste M. Watkins-Hayes

Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy; Director, Center for Racial Justice; Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy; University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor; Professor of Sociology; Research and Community Impact Fellow, Anti-Racism Collaborative

Watkins-Hayes is an internationally-recognized scholar and expert on HIV/AIDS; urban poverty; social policy; and racial, class, and gender inequality. Her work illuminates social problems of great interest to scholars, communities, and policymakers. She works at the intersection of sociology, African American Studies, and public policy. Her work analyzes the impact of the HIV epidemic on women and the growth of the HIV safety net.

• Center for Racial Justice
• Racial Foundations of Public Policy
• Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve
• Celeste Watkins-Hayes
• criminal justice
• racial justice