Claremont, Calif. (November 16, 2022)—As political divides widen and voter demographics evolve, the 2022 midterm results have defied expectations and posed new questions for the country’s future.
Through the Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative (RJI), Pitzer’s Adrian Pantoja, UCLA’s Gary M. Segura, and USC’s Ange-Marie Hancock will discuss the midterms’ broader implications through the lens of race and politics.
Covering multiracial coalitions and the diversifying electorate, the panel will take place on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at 6 p.m. at Benson Auditorium.
Adrian Pantoja P’18 P’24 is a professor of political studies and Chicano studies, associate dean of faculty, and current chair of the RJI. Pantoja researches the Latino electorate, U.S. immigration policy, and American politics. He has worked with the polling firm Latino Decisions, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and more.
Gary M. Segura is the dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA. He writes about political representation and social cleavages, the domestic politics of wartime public opinion, and the politics of America’s growing Latino minority.
Ange-Marie Hancock is dean’s professor and chair of the department of political science and international relations at USC and a scholar of intersectionality theory. She has written numerous articles and three books on the intersections of categories of difference like race, gender, class, sexuality, and citizenship and their impact on policy.
“The red wave failed to materialize in 2022,” said Pantoja. “How did Democrats defy history and outperform the Republican Party? As the electorate becomes more diverse, how do the political parties and candidates change their political strategies?”
Established in 2020 by Pitzer President Melvin L. Oliver to embed racial justice throughout the Pitzer educational experience, RJI was renamed the Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative in his honor when he retired in June 2022. Pitzer College also established an endowed fund to support RJI on a permanent basis.
“The Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative endowed fund will create an ongoing revenue stream for generations to come,” said Pitzer Board of Trustees Chair Donald P. Gould. “It is a gift in perpetuity that will honor President Oliver and his lifelong efforts to create a more just and equitable world.”
To support productive discussion, analysis, and activism, the Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative provides funds for three primary prongs: curricular transformation, co-curricular transformation, and structural transformation.
President Oliver has called the initiative “a culmination of my life’s work and an essential component of Pitzer’s social justice mission.”
Interested in attending the event? For more information: https://www.pitzer.edu/event/the-2022-midterm-elections/
