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The Department of Sociology Presents: Dr. Alyasah Ali Sewell

On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the Sociology Colloquium Series will feature Dr. Alyasah Ali Sewell. Dr. Sewell is the Winship Distinguished Research Professor and Associate Professor of Sociology at Emory University, with affiliations in African American Studies and Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences at Rollins School of Public Health. An expert in racism, medical sociology, social psychology, and research methods, Dr. Sewell’s work explores how systemic racism drives health inequities through policing, segregation, and bioethics. Dr. Sewell's research is widely recognized, cited in over 12 languages across international, national, and state platforms, and featured in over 200 media outlets. They direct cutting-edge data equity initiatives through the Critical Racism Data Lab and The Race and Policing Project and serve as Study Director of the Urvashi Vaid LGBTQ Women’s Survey at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Their research is supported by leading organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Science Foundation, and Baden-Württemberg Foundation. Dr. Sewell's contributions have been honored with accolades such as Georgia Sociologist of the Year of 2021 and Planned Parenthood’s Dream Keeper of “The Future.” They completed postdoctoral training in Demography at the University of Pennsylvania's Population Studies Center, earned their Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida with a minor in Women’s Studies

Colloquia Title and Topic: All It Takes Is One Block: Residential Redlining, Police Surveillance, and the Legacy of Systemic Racism

This talk examines the enduring impact of residential redlining on the systemic inequities that define contemporary urban landscapes, with a specific focus on police surveillance in marginalized neighborhoods. Drawing on historical data and sociological research, I explore how the spatial boundaries of redlining continue to shape patterns of social control, public safety, and health inequities in these communities. By centering the experiences of residents in lethally surveilled neighborhoods, this analysis highlights the intersection of systemic racism, institutional policing practices, and structural neglect. I argue that redlining not only established the foundation for racialized policing but also perpetuates a cycle of disinvestment, surveillance, and harm. This presentation will discuss how these dynamics manifest at the neighborhood level and will interrogate the role of systemic racism in sustaining these inequities across generations.