The Mythology of Racial Progress

CASBS and SAGE Publishing are proud to present the SAGE-CASBS Award lecture, delivered by 2021-22 CASBS fellow Jennifer Richeson. View the release announcing Richeson as the sixth winner of the SAGE-CASBS Award.

Our perceptions of, beliefs about, and solutions for, racial inequality in the United States are shaped, at least in part, by a mythology of racial progress. Central to this mythology is the dominant narrative that American society is automatically, if not naturally, making steady linear progress toward racial equality. In this talk, Jennifer Richeson argues that our fidelity to this narrative elicits a persistent pattern of willful ignorance regarding some present-day racial disparities, including the wealth gap between Black and White Americans. Professor Richeson will illuminate the psychological science that sustains the narrative as well as some of the consequences of efforts to disrupt it. She also will discuss implications of the mythology of racial progress for efforts to engender actual racial equity in contemporary society.

The SAGE-CASBS Award will be presented to Jennifer Richeson immediately after she concludes the lecture.

Event begins promptly at 5:30pm. Attendees are welcome to enjoy an outdoor reception from 5-5:30pm.