Day One: Monday, November 6
Welcome & Remarks from Conference Chair Abdullah Antepli
Abdullah Antepli, Associate Vice President/Associate Vice Provost for Community Engaged Research and Teaching; Associate Professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at the Duke Divinity School; Associate Professor of the Practice, Sanford School of Public Policy
Panel 1: Hate, Bias, and Racism in Today's Political and Civic Space
This panel considered how racism shapes the contemporary political and civic landscape in the United States. Panelists paid particular attention to ways to address racial discrimination, hate, and bias. Moderated by Abdullah Antepli, Associate Vice President/Associate Vice Provost for Community Engaged Research and Teaching; Associate Professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at the Duke Divinity School; Associate Professor of the Practice, Sanford School of Public Policy.
- Robin Kirk, Codirector of the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute
- S. Charmaine McKissick-Melton, Associate Professor Emeritus of Mass Communication at North Carolina Central University
- Johnathan Smith, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division at U.S. Department of Justice
- Meredith Weisel, Regional Director of ADL Washington D.C.
Panel 2: Fighting Racism, Hate, and Bias at the State and Local Levels
This panel considered how hate, bias, and racism challenge state and local communities, and the ways that communities are fighting for a future that is free of racial discrimination, violence, and oppression. Panelists offered insights into issues that have special relevance to people's day-to-day lives. Moderated by Stelfanie Williams, Vice President for Community Affairs, Duke University.
- Senator Jay Chaudhuri, North Carolina State Senator (District 15)
- Eileen Chow, Associate Professor of the Practice in Chinese and Japanese Cultural Studies, Director of Story Lab at Duke University
Keynote Address with Jonathan Greenblatt
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League and former Director of the U.S. Office of Social Innovation & Civic Participation, discussed the Israel-Gaza conflict and rising antisemitism with Conference Chair Abdullah Antepli.
Panel 3: Combating Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Religious Oppression in 21st Century Politics
This panel drew together perspectives from academic scholarship, public service, journalism, and activism to consider the legacy of antisemitism, islamophobia, and other forms of religious oppression and to think seriously about ways to combat them. Moderated by Abdullah Antepli, Associate Vice President/Associate Vice Provost for Community Engaged Research and Teaching; Associate Professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at the Duke Divinity School; Associate Professor of the Practice, Sanford School of Public Policy.
- Rabbi Elana Friedman, Campus Rabbi and Jewish Chaplain for Jewish Life at Duke
- John Harwood, Polis Distinguished Fellow and Veteran Journalist
- Joshua Salaam, Director and Chaplain, The Center for Muslim Life at Duke University
Panel 4: Hate and Bias Toward the LGBTQ+ Community in Contemporary Politics
This panel considered the history of hate and bias toward the LGBTQ+ community and the role that it plays in contemporary politics. Drawing on a variety of perspectives, panelists will offer insight into the challenges posed by hate and bias and offer insight into ways to address these challenges. Moderated by Kate Whetten, Duke Professor of Public Policy and Global Health; Director, Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, Duke Global Health Institute; Co-Director, Duke Sexual and Gender Minority Wellness Program.
- Angel Collie, Director of the Duke Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity
- Sara LeGrand, Associate Research Professor, Duke Global Health Institute and Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research; Co-Director of the Duke Sexual and Gender Minority Wellness Program
- Nancy Petty, Pastor, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
- Michael Vazquez, Public Theologian and Community Organizer; Former Director, Human Rights Campaign
Day Two: Tuesday, November 7
Keynote Address with Frank Bruni
In a keynote address for the Combating Hate and Bias Conference, New York Times Columnist and Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy Frank Bruni joined Associate Professor and Director of Polis: Center for Politics Deondra Rose to discuss the ways in which hate and bias have touched Bruni’s journalistic career and their impacts on the broader political discourse in the nation.
Panel 5: Sexism, Misogyny, and Politics
This panel considered the role that hate and bias toward women has played in shaping life chances and the distribution of power in the United States. Panelists discussed a range of issues including the gender pay gap, women’s health, violence against women, unequal political representation, and more. Moderated by Deondra Rose, Director of Polis: Center for Politics, Kevin D. Gorter Associate Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and History.
- Selma Newbill, MPP Candidate at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and Advocacy Support Specialist at the Network for Victim Recovery of DC
- Nicki Washington, Cue Family Professor of the Practice, Computer Science and Gender, Sexuality, & Feminist Studies at Duke University; Director, Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education (AiiCE)
Panel 6: The Unifiers - Fostering Transformative Conversation Across Differences
The task of promoting unity in a social and political landscape often characterized by hate and bias can seem daunting. This panel brought together a group of leaders who have successfully fostered transformative conversation across differences in their respective communities using a variety of approaches. Moderated by Pate Skene, Senior Research Scientist, University of Colorado Boulder and Associate Research Professor of Neurobiology at Duke University.
- Jed Atkins, E. Blake Byrne Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University
- Brandon Britt, Access Services Librarian at Perkins Library, Duke University
- Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Chloe Nguyen, Braver Angels Student Fellow; Nakayama Scholar and Alice M. Baldwin Scholar at Duke University
Keynote Address with Ana Navarro & Bakari Sellers
Ana Navarro, GOP Strategist, Political Contributor to CNN and Telemundo, and Co-Host of ABC’s The View and Bakari Sellers, CNN Political Analyst & Former Representative from South Carolina, joined Dr. Deondra Rose, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Polis: Center for Politics, to discuss how hate and bias have infiltrated the political landscape.