Washington University in St. Louis faculty listed below are available for media interviews marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Michael Brown Aug. 9, 2014, and subsequent civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo.
Topic: Where are we now?
While some some progress has been made, in many ways we have regressed as a nation and that regression has no end in sight, said Kimberly Norwood, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and editor of, and contributor to, the 2016 book “Ferguson’s Fault Lines: The Race Quake That Rocked a Nation.” Norwood can comment on the challenges still faced by the Black community in America 10 years after Brown’s death. For more of her comments, visit the WashU Newsroom.
Contact: Kimberly Norwood, norwood@wustl.edu
Topic: Collective trauma
How did the unrest following the death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer 10 years ago affect the collective psyche of Black Americans? Seanna Leath, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, studies these issues. She can speak to how major events such as Ferguson and police shootings can impact the day-to-day mental health of Black people.
Contact: Seanna Leath, leath@wustl.edu
Topic: Infrastructure and equity
McKelvey School of Engineering teaching faculty — Seema Mukhi Dahlheimer, Sandra Matteucci and Tucker Krone — took the Ferguson uprising as an opportunity to develop coursework that explores ethics and the role of engineers in communities. The first version of that was a 2016 course called “Destination Ferguson: Looking at Urban Sustainability Challenges Through the Lens of Engineering Ethics, Leadership and Conflict Management.” The course evolved into “Engineers in the Community,” which continues to explore the role that engineers have in fostering community.
Contact: Sandra Matteucci (smatteucci@wustl.edu) or Seema Mukhi Dahlheimer (dahlheimer@wustl.edu)
Topic: Infrastructure and equity
A forthcoming book by Patty Heyda, a professor of urban design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, titled “Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA,” uses hundreds of maps to chart the often-opaque forces that have shaped Ferguson and other first-ring American suburbs since the early 1980s. “Public space is supposed to help people have a voice. But when public policy gives way to private wealth and free-market economics, the result is fragmented, segregated and toxic,” she said.
Contact: Patty Heyda, heyda@wustl.edu
Topic: Where are we now?
Ten years after Michael Brown’s death, there is still a significant need to tackle systemic racism and ensure the safety and equity of Black Americans, said Sheretta Butler-Barnes, a professor at the Brown School who studies the impact of racism and the use of culturally strength-based assets on the educational and health outcomes of Black American families. Butler-Barnes is featured in the forthcoming CBS prime-time special “13 Days in Ferguson.”
Contact: Sheretta Butler-Barnes, sbarnes22@wustl.edu
Topic: Ferguson inspired generation of activists
Several factors, including the use of social media, the way law enforcement handled the situation on the ground and St. Louis’ long history of organizing, led to Michael Brown’s death being a pivotal moment in history, said Clarissa Rile Hayward, a professor of political science in Arts & Sciences. For more of her comments, visit the WashU Newsroom.
Contact: Clarissa Rile Hayward, chayward@wustl.edu
Topic: Documenting protests
Documenting Ferguson, created and maintained University Libraries, was one of the very first participatory archives. Since then, activists and archivists have established best practices and ethics to promote the rights of content creators and to protect the privacy and safety of subjects. Miranda Rectenwald, curator of local history, can speak to the importance and evolution of digital archives in capturing protests and other historically important events.
Contact: Miranda Rectenwald, mrectenwald@wustl.edu
