FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

RACIAL PRIVACY, PROP. 54, AND DEFINING RACE AND RACISIM
Author Michael Omi Explores the Changing Meaning of Race
at Loyola Maymount University in Los Angeles November 18

November 5, 2003 - Popular definitions of race and racism, the changing meaning of race in American society, and California's controversial Prop. 54 initiative will be discussed by author and expert Michael Omi at Loyola Marymount University on November 18 at 12 p.m. in University Hall's Ahmanson Auditorium. The lecture is open to the public free of charge.

As part of a ongoing speakers series by LMU's American Cultures Studies Program, Omi will explore the topic "Racial Privacy?: Contesting Racial Classification in the Post-Civil Rights Era."

The American Cultures Speaker Series seeks to provide an opportunity to explore cultural and ethnic issues that affect all communities, and to promote a greater understanding of these issues.

Omi is the co-author (with Howard Winant) of Racial Formation in the United States, a historical look at racial politics and the development of race. Omi also has written numerous articles on race relations and racial politics, and currently is studying racist and antiracist movements. He is an associate professor and chair of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, and in 1990, was awarded Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award. Omi is the current chair of the Daniel E. Koshland Committee at the San Francisco Foundation, and serves on a number of boards and committees across the country.

The American Cultures Speaker Series continues in February 2004 with a visit from Chicana/o Studies expert Vicki Ruiz, professor, University of California at Irvine, who will discuss the history of Mexican American women, the dynamics of cultural coalescence, and the claiming of public space.

For more information on the speaker's series, please contact C�sar L�pez, visiting assistant professor, American Cultures, at 310.338.1710.

About the American Cultures Program at Loyola Marymount University
American Cultures Studies at LMU seeks to enhance appreciation of the diverse cultural and ethnic groups that comprise the United States. This program challenges participants to explore diverse cultures and the perspectives of others - factors that are essential to the creation of a more understanding and just society.

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