Rashawn Ray
Dr. Rashawn Ray on Grand Challenges and Researching Solutions
Rashawn Ray
Keynote Speaker
Sociology Professor, University of Maryland and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Rashawn Ray is a Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution. Ray regularly testifies at the federal and state levels on racial equity, policing and criminal justice reform, health policy, wealth, and family policy. He helped develop a virtual reality program for law enforcement and led implicit bias trainings with thousands of employees, police officers, and military personnel. Ray appears regularly on CNN, BBC, and NPR and has written for New York Times, USA Today, and Business Insider.
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Rashawn Ray'S SPEAKING FEE Under $25,000
Rashawn Ray is a Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution. Ray is one of the co-editors of Contexts Magazine: Sociology for the Public. Formerly, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and currently serves on the National Advisory Committee for the RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars Program.
Ray regularly testifies at the federal and state levels on racial equity, policing and criminal justice reform, health policy, wealth, and family policy. As the Director of LASSR, Ray helped develop a virtual reality program for law enforcement and led implicit bias trainings with thousands of police officers, military personnel, and employees at companies and organizations. He obtained his Ph.D. and master’s degree in sociology from IU, and his bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Memphis. Previously, Ray served on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington Planning Committee and the Commission on Racial Justice with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Ray has published over 50 books, articles, and book chapters, and over 50 op-eds. He has written for Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, POLITICO, Business Insider, Newsweek, NBC News, The Guardian, The Hill, Huffington Post, and The Conversation. Ray has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, CBS, ABC, C-Span, PBS, NPR, and Al Jazeera. His research addresses the mechanisms that manufacture and maintain racial and social inequality with a particular focus on police-civilian relations and men’s treatment of women. His academic articles have appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, Science Advances, Social Science Research, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Du Bois Review, and the Annual Review of Public Health. Ray’s books include Systemic Racism in America: Sociological Theory, Education Inequality, and Social Change (with Hoda Mahmoudi), How Families Matter: Simply Complicated Intersections of Race, Gender, and Work (with Pamela Braboy Jackson) and Race and Ethnic Relations in the 21st Century: History, Theory, Institutions, and Policy, which has been adopted over 40 times in college courses.
Ray has been awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science, the Public Understanding of Sociology Award from the American Sociological Association, and the Morris Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Sociological Achievement from the DC Sociological Society.
Featured Videos
Rashawn Ray
Dr. Rashawn Ray on the Current State of Policing in America
Rashawn Ray
Dr. Rashawn Ray on Becoming a Racial Equity Broker
Rashawn Ray
Dr. Rashawn Ray on Grand Challenges and Researching Solutions
Rashawn Ray’s Speech Topics
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Create Civility and Tolerance in an Uncivil and Intolerant Society
From mass shootings to police killings to hate crimes, the United States is witnessing what seems like an unprecedented number of violent and divisive incidents. Simply put, America is grappling with its social and cultural norms. So, how do we create civility and tolerance in an uncivil and intolerant society? Presenting research from a series of academic studies, Dr. Rashawn Ray helps to identify trust points and create brave spaces to leave participants more educated about the causes and solutions related to inequality.
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Embracing Diversity is a Win-Win for Your Business
This lecture provides an overview of research on diversity in the workplace, and how more diversity actually increases the bottom line. Dr. Rashawn Ray provides strategies for increasing diversity and properly evaluating worker satisfaction and attrition. Participants will leave with ways to foster, enhance, and evaluate diversity efforts in the workplace.
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Reducing Racial Disparities in Policing
George Floyd’s death significantly shifted public opinion as 76% of Americans agreed that incidents such as the killing of Floyd are signs of racism within law enforcement. While the public outcry often includes the views of the general public, missing are police officers themselves. Presenting research from data with law enforcement, Ray finds that police officers are quite open to adjusting budgets and engaging in innovative trainings using virtual reality technology to help transform policing. Ray presents a series of policy solutions that include what we can do to help our communities improve policing outcomes.
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How does Social Media Divide Us?
Social media platforms use algorithms that provide us with content they think we will engage with the most. This does not always mean it is the best or most objective content. In this lecture, Dr. Rashawn Ray provides leaders and staff members with strategies to understand social media algorithms, disseminate more objective content, and think consciously about public image management.
Speaker Topics & Types
- Anti-Racism Speakers
- Authors
- Black History Month Speakers
- Black Motivational Speakers
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- Diversity & Inclusion Speakers
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- Professors
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