Dornsife Dialogues
The USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences invited CRCC’s Najuma Smith-Pollard to moderate a discussion the causes and legacy of Los Angeles’ 1992 Civil Unrest. Watch it here:
For five days in late 1992, Los Angeles was in the grip of civil unrest that led to significant death and destruction, causing the mayor to declare a state of emergency. The uprising followed the acquittal of four LAPD officers charged with using excessive force in the brutal, videotaped beating of a Black man named Rodney King. How can the lessons from this event continue to heal and improve society today?
Watch this engaging discussion with:
- Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard (moderator), assistant director of community and public engagement at the USC Dornsife Center for Religion & Civic Culture
- Manuel Pastor, director of the USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute, Professor of USC Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity, and Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change at USC Dornsife
- George Sanchez, director of the Center for Diversity and Democracy and USC American Studies & Ethnicity professor.
Community Stories for Policy Change
In times of turmoil, storytelling can be a catalyst for policy change as well as a symbol for healing and resistance. As we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Uprising, a defining moment in our history, Lora King, Shinese Harlins-Kilgore, the Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith-Pollard and Dr. Allissa V. Richardson for a vibrant discussion on the intergenerational impact of storytelling and its symbiotic relationship with public policy. Dr. Erroll Southers moderated the discussion.
This event was presented by the USC Black Alumni Association, the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, and the USC Price Safe Communities Institute.
