Close Conversations, sponsored by the Cathedral’s Congregation of Saint Saviour, invite you to join a series of discussions on contemporary society, culture and spirituality.

Carla Shedd is Associate Professor of Urban Education at the Gradue Center, CUNY. She previously taught at Columbia University in sociology and African American studies. Her work focuses on timely issues related to criminal justice; race, law and society; social inequality; and urban policy. Her current research centers on New York City’s juvenile justice system, specifically investigating how young people’s institutional experiences influence their placement on and movement along the carceral continuum. She is the author of Unequal City: Race, Schools, and Perceptions of Injustice(Russell Sage Foundation, 2015), which explores obstacles facing urban adolescents in Chicago; the book received the 2015 C. Wright Mills Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the 2016 Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award Presented by the American Sociological Association’s Section on Race, Gender, and Class. She is an occasional contributor on MSNBC and elsewhere.

R. L'Heureux Lewis-McCoy is an Associate Professor of Sociology of Education at New York University and author of Inequality in the Promised Land: Race, Resources and Suburban Schooling (Stanford University Press, 2014), which explores how inequality flourishes in diverse schools.

The changing national and international landscape necessitate deeper, more sustainable, and meaningful engagement conversations and research. Through his writing, speaking, and commentary his work analyzes some of the most pressing issues facing the African Diaspora. With specializations in race and ethnic relations, his research and activism grapple with the areas of education, youth culture, and public policy.

His commentary has been featured in media outlets such as US World News Report, National Public Radio, Ebony, theRoot.com, TheGrio.com and the Detroit Free Press.