Bestselling author and legal scholar Michelle Alexander to speak at Saint Rose on October 11 

The College of Saint Rose will welcome bestselling author, social justice advocate, and legal scholar Michelle Alexander to campus on October 11 for a discussion on racial injustice and systemic racism in the American prison system.  

Author and anti-racist activist Ibram X. Kendi has described Alexander’s landmark bestselling book, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” as “the spark that would eventually light the fire of Black Lives Matter.”  

A moderated discussion with Alexander will be held in the Massry Center for the Arts, 1002 Madison Avenue in Albany, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. The free event, which is open to the public, also will be livestreamed on The College of Saint Rose YouTube channel. Registration is required for the in-person event. 

Alexander will also hold an invite-only discussion with Saint Rose and University at Albany students prior to her talk. 

In “The New Jim Crow,” Alexander peels back the curtain on systemic racism in the American prison system. The 2010 book, which appeared on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year, has been lauded as the “secular bible of a new social movement” by many, including Dr. Cornel West. In their review, the New York Review of Books described Alexander’s work as “striking in the intelligence of her ideas, her powers of summary, and the force of her writing.”  

Since its release over a decade ago, “The New Jim Crow” has opened conversations on a national scale about the disproportionate number of incarcerated Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the United States, particularly Black men. Attendees will be invited to discuss the challenges facing the modern civil rights movement, as well as what meaningful prison reform for communities of color looks like today.  

The event is being held via a partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at University at Albany and the New York State Writers Institute. 

“We are humbled and honored to host such a significant figure in anti-racist dialogue on our campus,” said Saint Rose President Marcia J. White. “Our students and the broader Saint Rose community are eager to read and discuss Michelle Alexander’s work and extend the discussion beyond her time on our campus. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who founded Saint Rose, are longtime social justice advocates who marched at Selma, and that passion for inclusion and equity is alive on our campus today. We are proud to partner with UAlbany and the New York State Writers Institute to make this significant event for the Capital Region possible.” 

“The University at Albany is excited to collaborate with the New York State Writers Institute and The College of Saint Rose to bring Michelle Alexander to the Capital Region,” said Samuel Caldwell, UAlbany’s Chief Diversity Officer. “It is immensely satisfying to co-sponsor events that cultivate broader perspectives on issues of race and social justice.” 

“The College of Saint Rose is excited to welcome Michelle Alexander to campus for a community conversation that will build our capacity for inclusion,” said Yolanda Caldwell, chief diversity officer and director of the Women’s Leadership Institute and BOLD Women’s Leadership Network at Saint Rose. “Our collaboration with University at Albany and the New York State Writers Institute expands this meaningful conversation to include the Capital Region community. 

Media contact: Jennifer Gish, associate vice president for marketing and communications at The College of Saint Rose, at gishj@strose.edu or 518.817.2630.

event details

What: Michelle Alexander, bestselling author, social justice advocate, and legal scholar, will be the featured speaker in a moderated panel discussion on racial injustice and systemic racism in the American prison system.
When: October 11, 2022, from 7 to 8:15 p.m.
Where: Picotte Recital Hall, Massry Center for the Arts at The College of Saint Rose, 1002 Madison Avenue, Albany, New York
Tickets: The event is free but advance online registration is required and seats are limited. The talk will also be livestreamed on the Saint Rose YouTube channel.