The Meaning of Race in the Post-Genome Era

The 5th Annual James Baldwin Lecture titled “The Meaning of Race in the Post-Genome Era” was delivered by President Shirley M. Tilghman on March 9, 2010 at 5:30 pm in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. The annual James Baldwin Lecture celebrates the scholarship of a distinguished Princeton faculty member and provides an occasion for our intellectual community to reflect on the issue of race and American culture. The complexities of race in the United States demand the insightful work both of experts in the field and of all who share a genuine commitment to the well-being of our society. The Baldwin Lecture Series presents Princeton scholars, accomplished in their respective fields, with the opportunity to think carefully with others about race in America. The Baldwin lectures also honor the extraordinary legacy of the late James Baldwin (1924-1987). One of America’s most powerful cultural critics and essayists, Baldwin exemplified ways in which we might remain critically focused upon and engaged with the relationship of race to democracy in American society.