Michael Jefferies '02: Paint the White House Black

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Sociologist Michael Jeffries '02 discusses his new book, which examines how race relies on other social forces, like gender and class, for its meaning and impact.

Michael Jeffries '02 is the Knafel Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Assistant Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. A qualitative sociologist, he studies race, gender, politics, identity, and popular culture. Jeffries is the author of two books, Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (2013) and Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (2011).

Jeffries graduated from Swarthmore with a B.A. in sociology/anthropology and earned a Ph.D. in African and African American Studies from Harvard University in 2008. He is introduced by Professor of Sociology Sarah Willie-LeBreton. His lecture was sponsored by Black Studies and the Black Cultural Center Fall 2013 Lecture Series and co-sponsored by the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.