New Social Impact Series Explores Policing and Race in International Perspective

A new lecture and discussion series featuring international Fulbright Scholars at the University of Arkansas will launch on Friday, Feb. 26, with a session on "International Perspectives on Policing and Race: The U.S., the U.K., and South Africa." Members of the University community and the wider public are invited to register for this event, which will take place from 8-9:30 a.m. (CT) on Zoom and feature a live discussion with policing experts Adrienne Milner in London, Great Britain, and Gareth Newham in Pretoria, South Africa.

The panel will place recent controversies over police bias and violence into global context. It will also consider the impact of police violence allegations in the United States on international policing, as well as comparative views on the relationships among race, policing, and health outcomes. The panelists will discuss systemic and cultural differences in the approach to policing in the three countries while also highlighting efforts to address the problem at the political, legal, and grassroots levels.

The event is the first in a new Fulbright Scholars Social Impact Series, which will feature international conversations moderated by Fulbright Scholars and other international students and researchers at the University of Arkansas. The series is part of the Arkansas Global Changemakers Initiative, a collaboration between the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the Walton College of Business 

Milner is senior lecturer at Brunel University in London. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Miami and has over 10 years of experience teaching in both U.S. and U.K. universities. Her research examines racial attitudes, policy preferences, and health outcomes, with an emphasis on police brutality, the Affordable Care Act, and COVID-19. Newham has spent over two decades working to improve policing and public safety in South Africa. He currently heads the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The ISS is an independent, African authoritative research, policy, and training organization working to enhance human security in Africa.

The discussion will be moderated by Krishen Samuel, a Fulbright Scholar from South Africa completing doctoral studies in Community Health Promotion and Health Behavior at the University of Arkansas. Samuel holds a Masters in Global Public Health and Policy, and his research studies social determinants of health and how the intersection of factors such as race, gender, and sexuality impact upon health outcomes.

The event is scheduled for 8-9:30 a.m. (CT) Friday, Feb. 26, and will be held via Zoom. Please follow the link to register. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to a Zoom meeting.

About the Fulbright Scholars Social Impact Series: This series invites Fulbright Scholars and other international students and scholars at the University of Arkansas to act as cultural ambassadors by connecting the campus community and the public to leading experts or practitioners from their home country. The purpose of the series is to highlight shared challenges and promote potential solutions around the world.

About Arkansas Global Changemakers: Arkansas Global Changemakers is a project aimed at bringing communities together to enhance local solutions to global challenges. Participating faculty and students work alongside organizations, governments, and businesses in Arkansas to place pressing social issues into global context and to enter into dialogue with communities around the world facing similar challenges. For more information, visit our website: https://globalchangemakers.uark.edu