Meet Our Faculty: Hakeem Jefferson

TL;DR

The speaker discusses their research on why African-Americans sometimes support policies with negative consequences for their racial group, and their passion for teaching students about race and identity in American politics.

Transcript

• Because I tell my students, my job is never to force them to think a certain way, but it's at least to force them to reckon with why they think the way they think, to be forced to engage the possibility of being wrong. (bright music) My research focuses primarily on questions of race and identity and American politics. I'm really interested in wh... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 The speaker's research focuses on understanding why African-Americans support policies that may negatively impact their racial group.
• 💗 Growing up in South Carolina exposed the speaker to the power of politics in both liberating and oppressing people.
• 🤗 The speaker believes in the importance of teaching about race and identity and creating spaces for truth and open dialogue in the classroom.
• 🖤 They emphasize the importance of understanding the complexity and diversity of Black culture, life, and politics.
• 🙈 The speaker sees their role as a scholar as helping people reckon with their beliefs and engage with the possibility of being wrong.
• 🖐️ They believe in taking lay understandings seriously and bringing scientific rigor to questions of race and identity.
• 🤍 Teaching privileged and white students about race has been a long-standing obligation for the speaker.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the primary focus of the speaker's research?

The speaker's research focuses on understanding why African-Americans support policies that may be detrimental to their own racial group.

Q: Where did the speaker grow up and what impact did it have on their understanding of politics?

The speaker grew up in rural South Carolina, where conversations with their grandparents and neighbors exposed them to the power politics has in both setting people free and oppressing them.

Q: How does the speaker approach teaching about race and identity to their students?

The speaker creates a space where truth is valued and encourages students to share their ignorance or differing beliefs. They treat students as capable of understanding the complexities of the world and engage them as serious interlocutors.

Q: What does the speaker consider the biggest privilege of scholars?

The speaker believes that scholars have the privilege of helping people understand the messiness of the world around them through providing clarity and context.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker's research focuses on understanding why African-Americans support policies that are harmful to their racial group.

• They believe in bringing scientific rigor to lay theories and providing clarity and context.

• Growing up in South Carolina, conversations about politics with their grandparents highlighted the diversity and complexity of Black culture and politics.