Justice We Shall Pursue: Racism, Protest and Police Reform: Views of a Law Enforcement Veteran

Justice We Shall Pursue:

Racism, Protest and Police Reform: Views of a Law Enforcement Veteran

6pm PDT

American Jewish University stands opposed to all forms of racism and all bigotry. We affirm our support for all our students, staff, and community members who are pursuing justice at this moment.

Our work is driven by the Jewish values of justice (tzedek), equality under the law (mishpat) and acts of kindness (chesed). Our lifeblood as an educational institution is to increase access for all we serve to open inquiry, vigorous conversation, moral engagement, and disciplined learning.

In the coming weeks, we will use our power as a University to host conversations around structural racism and its pernicious impact on our society. Join us for our upcoming conversation: Justice We Shall Pursue: Racism, Protest and Police Reform: Views of a Law Enforcement Veteran

Reform of law enforcement is central to today’s discussions about how to reduce racism in society. Many state and local leaders are trying to defund and reform their forces in light of charges of structural bias against African-Americans. Dr. Erroll Southers, former Deputy Director in the California Office of Homeland Security, FBI Special Agent and Santa Monica police officer, will be in discussion with AJU President Jeffrey Herbst about how best to promote change in law enforcement in light of his decades of experience. Dr. Southers, who also served as Assistant Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, is professor of the practice in national and homeland security in USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Dr. Erroll G. Southers is the Director of the Safe Communities Institute and Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, where he is also a Professor of the Practice in National & Homeland Security. Previously, Dr. Southers also served as: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Director in the California Office of Homeland Security; Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department (the nation’s largest airport police department); and President Barack Obama’s first nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration. Before this, Dr. Southers was a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also worked seven years as a police officer with the Santa Monica Police Department. Lecturing at Joint Chiefs of Staff Antiterrorism Seminars and testifying before Congress on homeland security matters, Dr. Southers was recognized in Security Magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Industry Thought Leaders in the United States and is a recipient of the Earl Warren Outstanding Public Service Award.

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst is the fourth president of American Jewish University. Prior to joining AJU, Dr. Herbst was president and CEO of the Newseum and the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2015, he was president of Colgate University, where among other accomplishments he is credited with helping the university complete its nearly half billion-dollar fundraising campaign, leading the development and initial implementation of a university-wide strategic plan, and increasing the diversity and academic caliber of its educational programming. Additionally, Dr. Herbst was a Senior Fellow at the Brenthurst Foundation, was a two-time Fulbright Scholar, and is currently a trustee of Freedom House. He has also served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and as professor of political science at Miami University in Ohio, and taught at Princeton University for almost two decades. Dr. Herbst earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Yale University. He is the author of the award-winning “States and Power in Africa” and, with several co-authors, the just-published “Making Africa Work.” In addition to many books and articles, he has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many other digital and print publications around the world.