Systemic Racism…In SLO

Dr. Ryan Alaniz

Professor of Sociology at Cal Poly.

Strategies to Combat Systemic Racism and Microaggressions in SLO County: An Interactive Dialogue
In response to national and local protests centered on racial injustices, The Sheriff’s Office Unity Committee was formed in September of 2020 September 2020 as an effort to help identify racial, gender, religious, and sexual orientation issues in law enforcement and in the community. Dr. Ryan Alaniz of Cal Poly was one of the leaders of this committee and served as the principle author of the public report, which can be found here. Despite the public release of this explosive report, there are still widespread misunderstandings about systemic racism, implicit bias, and microagressions. We’ve asked Dr. Alaniz to share his findings about how SLO county has arrived at our current state as well as his insights into how to heal and move forward. We will come together in discussion groups at the conclusion of the evening to map a new path for this county we share.