Professor Harris Speaks on Equal Protection Clause at University of Denver College of Law
Professor Angela Harris gave a talk on "Protecting Privilege: The Equal Protection Clause in the 21st Century" at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law on February 12. Her lecture was part of the Equal Protection Initiative, a project of the Rocky Mountain Collective on Race, Place, and Law.
"So what do we do about the painful tension between all of these racial disparities and the official ideals of the United States as a society in which race shouldn't matter?" Harris asked. "We could do nothing and hope that racism goes away by itself. Or we could try to intervene in these disparities, even though they're no longer the product of a considered and conscious white supremacy." In her analysis, Harris said recent Equal Protection clause jurisprudence leads her to conclude that the "do nothing but feel good" approach has been predominant.
Angela Harris is one of the nation's foremost scholars in the fields of critical race theory, feminist legal theory, and civil rights. She joined the UC Davis faculty from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2011.