UC Berkeley Professor to Talk on Racism and ‘Colorblindness’ Nov. 15 at Cal Poly

SAN LUIS OBISPO – UC Berkeley law professor and author Ian Haney López will explore issues of racism and “colorblindness” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in Room 207 in the University Union.

Haney López will present “Do We Best Get Beyond Racism by Getting Beyond Race? An Argument Against Colorblindness.” In his talk, he argues that “both as constitutional law and as a principled response to racism, colorblindness not only fails to move us toward racial justice, it protects entrenched inequalities and excuses contemporary efforts to foster racial hierarchy.”

López is the author of “White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race and Racism on Trial: The Chicano Fight for Justice.” The Berkeley Women’s Law Journal called Haney López a trailblazer “for those exploring the legal and social constructions of race in the United States.

His talk is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Cal Poly Ethnic Studies Department and the College of Liberal Arts. For more information, call 756-1707.

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