January 26, 2017
[Milwaukee, Wis…] This Saturday, UWM faculty will try to prove to Milwaukee’s African American community that white conservatives are racist.The UWM Department of Africology will be giving a presentation at the Community Brainstorming Conference in Milwaukee this weekend called, “The Mainstreaming of Hate in American Electoral Politics.”
Assistant Professor Nolan Koplin will explain how whites are racist, while Visiting Professor Gladys Mitchell-Walthour will talk about how conservatives are racist. Koplin’s presentation will focus on his research “The White Backlash Against Obama’s Post-Racial Presidency.” Mitchell-Walthour will provide an international comparison with her work “Conservatism and Discrimination in Brazil: Parallel Paths of Hatred in the USA and Brazil.”
Harwood McClerking, another assistant professor from the department, will also be sitting on the panel, and Dr. Ruth Russell, Director of the UWM Academic Opportunity Center, will be moderating.
Nine faculty members work in UWM’s Africology Department, which “exposes students to historical texts and literature, modern social issues, philosophical questions and political crises through an African-centered lens,” according to its website. This prepares students for careers in business, government, education, public health, communication, social services, and public policy. The department offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees.
Kopkin’s salary from UWM in 2015 was $96,455. The combined salaries of the department for 11 faculty members was $812,505 that year.
UWM has a partnership with the Community Brainstorming Conference, which seeks to address current issues affecting the African American Community.
Last year’s topics included: “The New Assault on Blackness: The Restructuring of Higher Education” presented by UWM’s Africology Department and “Human Trafficking Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” with panelists from MPD and the court system.
The conference also has hosted candidate forums, and some attendees included Chris Abele, Pedro Colon, Jeff Stone, and JoAnne Kloppenburg.
The Community Brainstorming Conference Breakfast Forum goes from 8 to 11 am at Saint Matthew C.M.E Church, 2944 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI. The event is open to everyone.