Expert on racial politics of criminal justice system to speak at SUNY Oswego

Colgate University political science professor and scholar Dr. Nina M. Moore, whose research focuses on racial inequality, public policy and governance processes, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in Marano Campus Center auditorium as part of SUNY Oswego's I Am Oz Diversity Speakers Series.

Author of "The Political Roots of Racial Tracking in American Criminal Justice," Moore will appear as the first 2017-18 speaker for I Am Oz. The free series shines light on the ever-changing notion of community, incorporating aspects of diversity among students, faculty and organizations, with the purpose of engaging the community in respectful conversations.

Moore's book states that racial profiling and the over-criminalization of blacks are the making of the public and policymakers, more so than police officers and prosecutors. The research for this book is the focus of Moore's discussion for I Am Oz.

Published by Cambridge University Press, it has received scholarly praise from across the disciplines: The Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books journal asserts that it "may well be the best book thus far written on race, politics, and crime in America." Law & Society journal describes Moore’s work as "an impressive piece of socio-legal scholarship," one that helps in "understanding the emergence of the BLM (Black Lives Matter) social movement and its critique of racial differences in surveillance, arrest, prosecution and incarceration." Contemporary Sociology calls it an "ambitious endeavor" that is "a nimble and thoughtful analysis of the national policy process that has long entrenched a system of unequal justice in the United States."

One of Moore's previously published books, "Governing Race: Policy, Process and the Politics of Race," is the only multi-decade study of civil rights policymaking and procedures in the U.S. Senate.

Moore, who earned her doctorate at University of Chicago, previously held teaching positions at DePaul University, University of Minnesota and Loyal University of Chicago. The Princeton Review recently named her one of the best 300 professors in the United States.

Formerly a member of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Moore has served on a state advisory commission on underage alcohol consumption and substance abuse.

Moore will hold a book signing and sale after her talk.

Parking for I Am Oz events is available in the employee and commuter lots behind Hart and Funnelle residence halls. For a map and more information, visit oswego.edu/parking.

The I Am Oz Diversity Speaker Series is a program of the college's Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. For more information, visit oswego.edu/diversity or call 315-312-3214.