In November 2020, Professor Joseph Richardson shared a lecture titled “Life After the Gunshot: A Digital Storytelling Project.” This project chronicles the lives of 10 black men who were victims of gun violence and treated at UMDs Prince George’s hospital center, where they participated in the Capital Region Violence Intervention Project.

In her chapter “Making Rights Rhetoric Work: Constructing Care in a Post-Liberal World,” Dr. Alison Brysk notes that the rhetoric surrounding human rights is based on an ethos, which she describes as a form of discourse that seeks to shape public action. The human rights ethos is the justification of human rights and their greater purpose, whether that be moral or pragmatic. Dr. Brysk sees human rights as essentially the idea that all humans have inherent and equal moral worth, that social orders exist to promote the humanity of their members, and that authority should be guided and bounded by its impacts on human dignity.

In his 2014 Annual Lecture, “The Problem of Racism in “Post-Racial” America,” Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva discusses how discourse around race and racism had changed in the preceding years. Looking back at this lecture from our current vantage point, given the Trump presidency and his continued influence over the country, we can see new perspectives and fallacies in the idea that racism is an issue that exists only in the past.

The next lecture we are going to be looking back on is the Annual lecture from 2020, "Conversation on Climate Science, Policy & Justice with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson." Dr. Johnson answers questions about her book in a conversation moderated by Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi and Rashawn Ray. She describes the frustration of seeing a small group of white men being considered thought leaders in climate change. However, she knew that most women who are doing the most important climate work don't have time to take a break and write a book, one of the most traditional paths to thought leadership.

The next chapter we are looking at is “Dignity and Treating Others Merely as Means” by Samuel Kerstein. In it, he examines traditional Kantian interpretations of Kant’s Formula of Humanity. He then adds his own new perspective, which he calls KID. KID adds requirements to analyzing moral actions that make Kantian thought more applicable to modern philosophical questions such as physician-assisted suicide. He centers the idea of inherent human value, or dignity, and how interactions can respect or disrespect the personhood of others.

On October 18th, 2022, Dr. Ingrid Robeyns brought us the talk, "In this world on fire, what can limitarianism bring us?" This talk provided context about limitarianism as well as arguments for its implementation. The central focus was on the ways that limiting the amount of income and wealth people can accumulate can aid us in addressing the climate crisis that is impacting the whole world.

This week we are going back to the beginning of the volume. The first chapter is titled “Values and Human Rights: Implications of an Emerging Discourse on Virtue Ethics,” by Dr. Michael L Penn. It gives a generous overview of the ways that virtue ethics can interact with ideas of human rights conceptually and in practice. Since its conception in the 1950s, virtue ethics has drawn on Aristotelean thought and has developed a unique perspective when compared to other moral theories like deontology and utilitarianism.

We are so excited to be taking a look back at some of our past annual lectures as we gear up for the Chair’s 30th anniversary.

We are starting this series with the address from 2018, “Deconstructing Race / Reconstructing Difference,” delivered by Dr. Jabari Mahiri. He centered his talk on ways to move and change so future generations won’t have to face the same inequities brought about by race. His argument centers around the social construction and performance of race. Despite the lack of scientific proof, race is a social fact, and the implications of the social perceptions of race are very real.

Given the ongoing protests and struggles in Iran, I am beginning our read along with Prof. Mahmoudi’s chapter. It feels particularly relevant in our contemporary moment to discuss how women in Iran have and continue to strive for equality. The chapter is titled “Difficult Care: Examining Women’s Efforts in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and examines the ongoing struggle of Iranian women since the 1979 revolution through the lens of care ethics.

For our next Edited Volume Read Along Series, I will cover “The Changing Ethos of Human Rights,” edited by Hoda Mahmoudi, Alison Brysk, and Kate Seaman. This volume explores how the discussion surrounding human rights has changed in recent years and the resulting ethical, moral, and intellectual shifts. It also particularly highlights Ethics-of-Care theories and the idea that human life has inherent value and dignity.

The final chapter of this volume is called “Forming a Racially Inclusive Sociological Imagination: Becoming a Racial Equity learner, Racial Equity Advocate, and Racial Equity Broker.” In it, Professor Rashawn Ray discusses the impact racism still has in our society and begins to propose actions and solutions we can take to move forward. He points out the vitality of Critical Race Theory and suggests three main ways individuals can work toward racial equity.

In her chapter "Forging Alliances, Seeking Justice: How Relatively Privileged Young People Imagine and Build Solidarity across Differences," author Dr. Beth Douthirt Cohen discusses student agency in interrupting racism and other forms of oppression. She talks about how young people, especially in a school context, can perpetuate or break structures that maintain systems of inequality. She describes how fighting for justice in a way that does not immediately benefit you, like white youth interrupting white supremacy in themselves and others, makes you feel connected to movements for justice.