The color of power: The evolving relationship between race, skin color and American politics

Dr. Mara Cecilia Ostfeld serves as the Associate Faculty Director of Poverty Solutions, an Assistant Research Scientist in the Ford School of Public Policy and a faculty lead at the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study. She is an expert in survey research and the analysis of public opinion, with a particular focus on the relationship between race, gender, media and political attitudes. Her recent book (co-authored with Nicole Yadon), Skin Color, Power and Politics in America, explores the historical significance of skin color in America, both within and between ethnoracial groups, as well as its evolving relationship with political identities. During national elections, Mara also works as an analyst at NBC and Telemundo.

The talks, which are free and open to the public, will also be livestreamed on YouTube. U-M students can participate in the series as a one-credit course - look for it as SWK 503 section 001.

About the series

Real World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions introduces key issues regarding the causes and consequences of poverty through an in-person lecture series featuring experts in policy and practice from across the nation. Our goal is to help build a broad community of learners to engage in these issues together.

Speakers are national and global experts drawn from university, business, and community contexts who explore interdisciplinary real-world poverty solutions from a wide variety of perspectives. The talks, which are free and open to the public, will be livestreamed on YouTube. U-M students can participate in the series as a one-credit course.

For more info, please visit poverty.umich.edu/speakers

• race
• race relations
• race and inequality
• Race and Ethnicity Policy
• political identities