SSN’s 500th Member Focuses on the Roots of U.S. Urban Unrest

What do the continuing protests in Ferguson, Missouri have in common with the 1960s uprisings in many U.S. cities? Howard looks to history to explore the roots of racial conflicts – and to suggest possible solutions.

In a timely new Key Findings brief and a recent guest appearance on the Real News Network, Howard compares the Ferguson protests to the “long hot summer” in U.S. urban centers between 1965 and 1968. Although it has been 50 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, African Americans still face discrimination and economic and educational disadvantages that – when coupled with perceptions of unfair policing – can ignite revolts. Conditions will not improve until specific reforms in policing and criminal justice accompany larger changes in economic and educational opportunities.

Ashley M. Howard is an Assistant Professor at Loyola University New Orleans’ College of Humanities and Natural Sciences. Her research interests include African Americans in the Midwest; the intersection between race, class, and gender; and the global history of racial violence. She is currently at work on a book manuscript drawing from her PhD dissertation, “Prairie Fires: Urban Rebellions as Black Working Class Politics in Three Midwestern Cities.” She also serves as Book Review Editor for The Black Scholar.

The Scholars Strategy Network is pleased to name Dr. Howard as our 500th member. She is a member of the New Orleans Network, one of 19 regional groups that unite scholars from a variety of disciplines to engage with legislators and civic groups in their states. A full listing of all our 500 members is available here, and can be sorted by state.