"I study young people because they are inspiring. I believe in the collective power of young people to demand justice, to build movements that reimagine the world, that reimagine our relationship to each other, as well as the planet. And because young people are willing to engage in struggle, struggle that moves us closer to liberation, that moves us closer to true freedom and joy."
Cathy J. Cohen is the David and Mary Winton Green Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. A longtime activist and Black feminist, Cohen’s work specializes in African-American politics, women and politics, lesbian and gay politics, and social movements.
Her articles have been published in numerous journals and edited volumes, including the American Political Science Review, NOMOS, and the DuBois Review. Along with being the co-editor of Women Transforming Politics: An Alternative Reader, Cohen is also the author of two books: Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics.
The Boundaries of Blackness is the first full-scale exploration of the social, political, and cultural impact of AIDS on the African-American community. Informed by interviews with activists, ministers, public officials, and people with AIDS, Cathy Cohen unflinchingly brings to light how the epidemic fractured, rather than united, the black community.
In Democracy Remixed, award-winning scholar Cathy J. Cohen offers an authoritative and empirically powerful analysis of the state of black youth in America today. Utilizing the results from the Black Youth Project, a groundbreaking nationwide survey, Cohen focuses on what young Black Americans actually experience and think--and underscores the political repercussions.
The 2022 Nora and Edward Ryerson Lecture was presented by Cathy J. Cohen, the David and Mary Winton Green Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Political Science and the College. Cathy is also the inaugural chair for the new Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity.
What to learn more about the Freedom Scholars?
Questions about the Freedom Scholar awards can be sent to freedomscholars@caseygrants.org.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE FREEDOM SCHOLAR AWARDS HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE INATAI FOUNDATION.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE FREEDOM SCHOLAR AWARDS HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE GROUP HEALTH FOUNDATION.