Social Justice and Higher Education

On September 21, 2021, Dr. Sherry Wang and Dr. Lionel McPherson led a panel on "Social Justice and Higher Education." The conversations was part of the Center for Ethics Education's Advancing Health and Social Justice webinar series.

Dr. McPherson began his presentation by sharing his skepticism about the notion of 'racial justice.' He discussed that the term is vague and functions to obscure fundamentally different kinds of justice claims, and that this term being imposed does not position people to understand what the problem is, what potential solutions could be proposed, or what should be prioritized. Dr. Wang reflected on universities and actions taken to promote social justice within their walls. She discussed how universities are not more invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion, but that they may not be contributing to broader justice work in our society. Dr. Wang also reflected on the recent rise of violence toward Asian Americans and why these hate crimes are not taken seriously. She proposes the practice of cross-racial solidarity as a solution to win the ""battle"" against white supremacy.

Speakers:
Dr. Wang, PhD, is an Associate Professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University, where she supervises the Health and Ethnic Racial Disparities, or HERD, Research Team. Dr. Wang is also a visiting professor fellow at the Center for AIDS Prevention at the University of California San Francisco, and serves as the Chair of the American Psychological Association's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs.

Dr. McPherson, PhD, is an Associate Professor of philosophy at Tufts University, where he is also the Co-Director of their certificate program in Ethics, Law, and Society. Dr. McPherson's research covers a range of topics pertaining to ethics, as well as social and political philosophy, including moral theory, war and terrorism, the philosophy of race, white supremacy, global justice, and education.

For more information about Fordham University's Center for Ethics Education, visit www.fordham.edu/ethics

For more information about the Fordham University Master's Degree in Ethics and Society, visit www.fordham.edu/ethicsandsociety.