Today - Book Launch Event: The Politics of Safety by Dr. Shannon King - April 5th

On Friday, April 5, from 5-7 p.m., the Humanities Institute will host a book launch and Q&A with Shannon King, PhD, associate professor of history. His groundbreaking new book, The Politics of Safety: The Black Struggle for Police Accountability in La Guardia's New York (University of North Carolina Press) delves into the intricate dynamics of police accountability and the Black struggle for safety in one of America's most iconic cities.

Joining Dr. King for the launch event will be Kris Sealy, PhD, formerly of Fairfield University and currently a professor of philosophy at Penn State University. Dr. Sealy, known for her expertise in social movements and community politics, will engage Dr. King in conversation and co-lead a Q&A session.

In The Politics of Safety, Dr. King, uncovers how Black activism for safety was a struggle against police brutality and crime, highlighting how the police withholding protection operated as a form of police violence and an abridgement of their civil rights. By decentering familiar narratives of riots, King places Black activism against harm at the center of the Black freedom struggle, revealing how Black neighborhoods became occupied territories in La Guardia's New York.

The event will be held in the Kelley Center Presentation Room and is free and open to the public.

Refreshments will be served.