Phi Betta Kappa and the Department of Philosophy welcome the 2023 McNair Ethics Lecture speaker, Derrick Darby from Rutgers University. 

Talk Title: Reparations in A Realistic Blacktopia

After discussing the motivations for his new book, A Realistic Blacktopia: Why We Must Unite to Fight, the inspiration that found in the black radical political tradition, and after summarizing the main argument, Dr. Darby will explain why he is doubtful about the prospect of securing black reparations – as currently imagined – in the United States, and why such doubt is not as troubling as one might think.

Derrick Darby is Henry Rutgers Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He discovered his passion for philosophy growing up in NYC. For the backstory, see his TEDx talk, "Doing the Knowledge.” He writes about rights, inequality, democracy, and hip hop. He has been profiled in The Atlantic and published in The New York Times and other outlets. His books include: The Color of Mind: Why the Origins of the Achievement Gap Matter for Justice; Rights, Race, and Recognition, and Hip Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2 Reason. Follow him on Instagram @hiphopandphilosophy.