This Sunday in #nerdland: The latest on the San Bernardino shooting, the Supreme Court and affirmative action, President Obama’s evolution on guns and terror, 2016 politics and terrorism, and the new movie, Chi-Raq.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court justices will begin hearing a case that could end race-conscious admission policies at colleges. The case of Fisher vs University of Texas could overturn a 2003 decision allowing public colleges and universities to consider race as a factor to ensure educational diversity. As the court deliberates, some legal experts believe that nationwide protests on college campus will influence the outcome of the Supreme Court’s decision. Melissa will talk to the panel about the factors of the case.
Then we’ll discuss a lawsuit that the NAACP is filing against the state of Alabama for its 2011 voter ID law. Does requiring voters to present driver’s licenses or special photo IDs hamper the presence of minorities at the ballot?
The recent violent attacks abroad and at home have opened a discussion on national security across the 2016 presidential field. Will this shift in focus lead voters to flock to candidates that make them feel safe? We’ll take a closer look at some of the rhetoric from the candidates.
Then we’ll talk with Dorothy Holmes, the mother of Ronald Johnson. Johnson was killed in a police shooting in Chicago last year. Holmes has been fighting to get the city to release dash cam video of the shooting. This week will represent a victory for Holmes as the city has decided to drop its opposition to releasing the video.
Plus we’ll discuss Chi-Raq, Spike Lee’s latest film about Chicago gun violence.
Joining our Sunday morning conversation will be:
- Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- John McWhorter, Association Professor of English and Comp Lit at Columbia
- Halley Potter, Fellow, The Century Foundation
- Janelle Wong, Professor & Director of Asian American Studies, University of Maryland
- Ari Berman, The Nation and Author of “Give Us the Ballot”
- Beth Fouhy, Senior Editor, MSNBC.com
- Noah Shachtman, Executive Editor, The Daily Beast
- Deepa Iyer, Senior Fellow, Center for Social Inclusion
- Michael Oppenheimer, Attorney for family of Ronald Johnson
- Dorothy Holmes, Mother of Ronald Johnson
- Salamishah Tillet, Assoc. Prof., of English and Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania
To prep for our discussions, feel free to check out:
- Students’ Protests May Play Role in Supreme Court Case on Race in Admissions
- To fight racial isolation on campus, start with admissions
- Obama renews call for gun control after mass shooting
- NAACP files suit against Alabama voter ID law
- For our safety, our future: Chris Christie for President
- America’s Autumn of Islamophobia
- Ted Cruz: ‘You Stop Bad Guys by Using Our Guns’
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Sunday at 10am ET on MSNBC. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
