Values In Action Lecture Examines Racial Justice
Author and University of Scranton alumnus Yohuru Williams, Ph.D. ’93 G’93, will present “The Fire This Time: Racial Justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Promise of Jesuit Education in the Age of Black Lives Matter” at The University of Scranton’s Values In Action Lecture on Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. First-year students can attend the lecture in the Byron Recreation Complex. Other members of the University community can watch a live stream of the lecture in LSC 133, BRB 228 and TDC 401.Author and University of Scranton alumnus Yohuru Williams, Ph.D. ’93 G’93, will present “The Fire This Time: Racial Justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Promise of Jesuit Education in the Age of Black Lives Matter,” at The University of Scranton’s Values In Action Lecture on Oct. 4. The lecture is part of the University’s annual Royal Reads program, which introduces incoming students to Ignatian values through a shared reading experience of a selected book in addition to programming in courses and extra-curricular activities throughout the semester that expands discussion on themes first encountered in the book.
The book selected for members of Scranton’s Class of 2025 is James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, the 1963 national bestseller that delves into the grave consequences of racial injustice and calls readers to recognize the importance of advocating for racial equality.
The lecture for first-year students will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex. The lecture will be live streamed to the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center, the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall and the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center for other members of the University community.
Dr. Williams is the Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. His research interests include African American history, civil rights, Black Power movements, African-American constitutional and legal history, urban history and 20th-century American history. He has authored and edited numerous books, including “Rethinking the Black Freedom Movement,” “Black Politics White Power, Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Black Panthers in New Haven” and “The Black Panthers: Portraits of an Unfinished Revolution,” among others. He has presented at numerous conferences, panels and public lectures and has appeared on a variety of national radio and television programs, including ABC, CNN, CSPAN, Fox Business News and NPR.
A former trustee of The University of Scranton, Dr. Williams earned his bachelor’s degrees in political science and history and a master’s degree in history from Scranton. He received a Ph.D. in history from Howard University.
