CUS Speaker Series - Dr Junia Howell

Dr. Junia Howell
Topic: Delegitimizing and Dismantling Systems of Oppression: How Empirical Research Can Uncover and Collective Action Can Transform Housing Inequities
June 9, 2022 (Friday) 10:00am-11:30am
Urban Center (2nd floor) Parsons Gallery


Junia Howell is an urban sociologist and race scholar whose works identifies housing and disaster relief policies, processes, and practices that uphold White supremacy. Her research has been widely cited in news media, legislative hearings, and federal and local bills. Dr. Howell recently founded a nonprofit, eruka, aimed at cultivating a just economy by providing alternative housing and finance services based on her research. Prior to her current affiliation at the University of Illinois Chicago she was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh and received her PhD from Rice University. The following describes what Dr. Howell will be discussing at this event:

Scholars have illuminated that racial capitalism perpetuates the affordable housing crisis, racial wealth gaps, residential segregation, global trade imbalances, climate change, and several other social problems. Yet, what is less clear is the specific mechanisms upholding White supremacy and, more importantly, how collective action can dismantle them. This talk will use empirical research to debunk common misperceptions and highlight the processes exacerbating inequities. We will then cast a vision for a new housing finance system and discuss how we can make it a reality.