B. Education, Social Class, and Equality

Racism without Racists: The Persistence of Inequality in the United States

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva earned his B.A. in Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011, Blue Ridge Ballroom, 7:00pm

Many Americans believe racism has all but disappeared, and that we live in a truly colorblind society. Yet people of color lag behind in almost all social indicators. They are poorer, less educated, and have less access to health care. If race has become largely irrelevant--and racists are few and far between--how can these conditions persist? This presentation will challenge our racial common sense, showing that new, more subtle forms of discrimination have emerged that help preserve the status quo.

Rolling Through Adversity

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, Blue Ridge Ballroom, 7:00pm

What images appear in our minds when we think of foster care, drug addiction, and motorized wheelchairs? What about college graduate, athlete and public speaker? While our stereotypes for each are very different, Shawn will tell a story will remind us that any assumptions based on misinformation or lack of experience keep us from learning, understanding and from maximizing our personal and collective potential.

Shawn Hessee was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a result of being born premature to a mother addicted to drugs. Shortly after birth, he was taken to foster care and eventually adopted into a loving family. Doctors insisted Shawn would never talk or live a normal life. He proved them all wrong and has faced numerous challenges head on, earning such accomplishments as North Carolina Athlete of the Year and North Carolina’s Most Outstanding Person.

E. Education and Sexual Identity

Religious Intolerance in America and the Challenge of Pluralism

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011, Blue Ridge Ballroom, 7:00pm

Can't we all just get along? America is a "sweet land of liberty," isn't it? American narratives often celebrate the nation's rich heritage of religious freedom. There is, however, a less told and often ignored part of the story: the ways that intolerance and cultures of hate have manifested themselves within American religious history and culture. Examining religious intolerance in America's past, reminds us that this story has not disappeared as people continue to grapple with religious diversity and theological differences. Looking at this past can offer us some important insights into the challenge of pluralism.

Lynn S. Neal earned her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches courses in American religious history, religion and popular culture, and religious intolerance. She is the author of Romancing God: Evangelical Women and Inspirational Fiction (2006), and “Evangelical Love Stories: The Triumphs and Temptations of Romantic Fiction.” She is also the co-editor, with John Corrigan, of Religious Intolerance in America: A Documentary History (2010), and has published other works on this topic, including “Intolerance and American Religious History,” and “They’re Freaks!: The Cults Stereotype in Fictional TV Shows, 1958-2008.” Her current research examines the intersection of religious intolerance and popular culture.