The National Association for Ethnic Studies has a new home in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The association was founded in 1972 in Wisconsin as the National Association of Interdisciplinary Studies for Native American, Black, Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Asian Americans. The organization adopted its current name in 1985
The association has the stated mission to encourage activities and scholarship in the field of ethnic studies and to promote social justice and equality through research and scholarship, curriculum design, conferences, and assistance to ethnic studies programs.
Ravi Perry, a new associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, is the executive director of the association. Dr. Perry stated that “ethnic studies is integral to liberal education and global progress and equal justice for all. We believe these goals fit well with VCU’s mission and we’re excited about our future.
Dr. Perry is the author or editor of several books including Black Mayors, White Majorities: The Balancing Act of Racial Politics (University of Nebraska Press, 2014) and The Little Rock Crisis: What Desegregation Politics Says About Us (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). Dr. Perry is a graduate of the University of Michigan. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
