The Intersection of Sustainability & Social Justice: The Lasting Impact of 20th-Century Redlining
William & Mary recently has launched two new university-wide initiatives — the Center for Racial & Social Justice and the Institute for Integrative Conservation. While these initiatives have different missions, the work of both includes advancing racial, social, and environmental justice. In this presentation, Vivian E. Hamilton (founding director of the William & Mary Center for Racial & Social Justice) and Robert Rose (executive director of the Institute for Integrative Conservation) will discuss an issue at the intersection of their work — combating the enduring effects of redlining. A 20th-century governmental and industry practice of ranking neighborhoods for home ownership, redlining has contributed to significant racial, social and environmental injustices that still are being felt across many communities today. Hamilton and Rose also will discuss how, in partnership with others at William & Mary and beyond, we might begin to reverse the effects of redlining in our communities.
The mission of the Center for Racial & Social Justice
The Center advances the cause of racial and social justice by educating students and the broader community, building students’ capacity to engage in social justice work and engaging in legal and multidisciplinary research and advocacy aimed to inform the public, advocates, and policymakers — both in the Commonwealth of Virginia and nationwide.
The mission of the IIC
William & Mary’s Institute for Integrative Conservation cultivates an inclusive community of creative thought-leaders to deliver timely, innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing conservation challenges.
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The Intersection of Sustainability & Social Justice: The Lasting Impact of 20th-Century Redlining
5/3/2022
$15 - $20
6 pm - 8 pm EST
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Speaker Biographies

Robert Rose is the executive director of the Institute for Integrative Conservation (IIC) at William & Mary. The IIC is at the forefront of transformational research and education that ultimately will serve to advance sustainability efforts, solve real-world conservation issues and train the next generation of diverse conservation leaders. Robert came to William & Mary in 2015 as the director of the Center for Geospatial Analysis (CGA). Prior to William & Mary, he spent seven years at the Wildlife Conservation Society as the assistant director of conservation support, a team that provided technical support and training to conservation programs around the globe. Robert’s interests include conservation and conservation planning, the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing to better understand drivers of land change and broader conservation issues, the promotion of remote sensing for conservation applications and the integration of advanced and interactive geovisualization tools to better engage students in the classroom. Robert earned a doctorate in geography with a minor in ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Vivian Hamilton is the founding director of the William & Mary Center for Racial & Social Justice and a professor of law at William & Mary Law School, where she teaches courses in civil procedure, education law and family law, as well as gender, sexuality & law, and race & law. She is also an affiliate faculty member of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program. At the Law School, Vivian serves as faculty advisor to the Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice, the Black Law Students Association and the Equality Alliance. Her research focuses on racial justice in education and other law and policy measures affecting adolescents and emerging adults. She has testified as an expert before multiple state legislatures, and her work has been cited widely in law journals and media outlets.
Professor Hamilton is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and earned her B.A. in history from Yale University.