Radical Empathy: Finding a Path to Bridging Racial Divides

Structural racism has impacted the lives of African Americans in the United States since before the country’s founding. Although the country has made some progress towards a more equal society, political developments in the 21st century have shown that deep divides remain. The persistence of inequality is an indicator of the stubborn resilience of the institutions that maintain white supremacy.

To bridge our divides, renowned political scientist Terri Givens calls for ‘radical empathy’ - moving beyond an understanding of others’ lives and pain to understand the origins of our biases, including internalized oppression.

Deftly weaving together her own experiences with the political, she offers practical steps to call out racism and bring about radical social change.

Terri E. Givens is a Professor of Political Science at McGill University. She was formerly based at the University of Texas at Austin and is the founder of the Center for Higher Education Leadership. She is the author of books and articles on immigration policy, antidiscrimination politics and comparative race politics.