Scholar Lynn Itagaki is a leading figure in the development of the concept of civil racism, which refers to efforts to preserve civility and “community togetherness” at the expense of racial equality. She has utilized a host of historical incidents including the 1992 Rodney King riots and the Black Lives Matter movement to illustrate how efforts to promote equality have been dulled by the effects of civil racism and the strong reactions to this that have often boiled over in society.

Itagaki will present “Civil Racism from the 1992 Los Angeles Rebellion to the Age of Trump” as part of the Ralph Pruitt Lecture, Arts, and Media Series hosted by Cleveland State University’s Black Studies Department. The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, February 20 in the Main Classroom (MC) Building, room 146 on the CSU campus. The lecture will be preceded by the screening of LA 92 a National Geographic documentary on Rodney King and the LA Riots from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in MC 135. A reception and book signing with Itagaki will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in MC 137. All events are free and open to the public.

Lynn Itagaki is associate professor of English and women's and gender studies at the University of Missouri. She is the author of Civil Racism: The 1992 Los Angeles Rebellion and the Crisis of Racial Burnout.

For more information about the Black Studies Program and the Pruitt Lecture Series, visit https://www.csuohio.edu/class/black-studies/black-studies.

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