Updates/Briefings

Social Justice & The Kerner Report: The Consequences of Inaction

Monday, June 27, 2022

9:00am – 10:00am

Location: Washington Convention Center, 147A

In 1967, following a long summer of civil rights protests across the United States, President Lyndon B Johnson established a National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (more commonly known as the Kerner Commission) to investigate the causes of the protests and propose solutions to the underlying inequities that sparked the unrest. The following year, the Kerner Commission released their 426 page report, which became a national bestseller.

The report was notable for identifying white racism as a key culprit in the nation’s struggles with race relations, but President Johnson largely ignored the recommendations put forth in the report. In this panel discussion, we will hear from scholars reflecting on the significance and impact this government document has had over the past 50 years and what we can still learn from its content today.

Learning Objectives:

...describe the Kerner Report, its historic significance, and groundbreaking explicit acknowledgement of white racism in an official government document
...identify and interrogate parallels between the events that inspired the creation of the Kerner Commission and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020
...identify the types of government information and publications that are made accessible through public web portals and libraries

Main Contact(s)

KF

Kian Flynn

Global Studies & Geography Librarian
University of Washington

Speaker(s)

Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards

Duke University
Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity

Moderator(s)

Robbie Sittel, MLIS

Librarian
University of North Texas

Speaker(s)

SM

Stephen Menendian
JC

Jamein Cunningham