Florida International University Foundation’s Office of Inclusive Philanthropy, in collaboration with Florida International University’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, and the Center for the Humanities in an Urban Environment, is pleased to present another Virtual Roundtable entitled: "When Liberty Burns: Race Relations in America"

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"When Liberty Burns," a documentary directed by Dudley Alexis (watch the trailer), highlights the life and death of Arthur L. McDuffie. On December 17, 1979, after failing to stop for a traffic light, police officers gave chase. After realizing he could not escape, McDuffie surrendered. He was beaten until he lost consciousness. That beating by multiple officers caused his death. Acquittal of the offending officers charged in the murder sparked a civil disturbance in Miami’s urban core.

The “McDuffie Riots” ultimately changed Miami-Dade County and became a symbol of the city’s struggle to contend with race relations and its sordid history during the Jim Crow era. May 25, 2021, will mark one year since George Floyd was killed while in police custody. This virtual Roundtable Discussion will highlight Race Relations and the role of White supremacy and American policing.

Roundtable Presenters

• Dudley Alexis, Independent Filmmaker and Visual Artist
• Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, Executive Director, City of Miami Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum 
• Valerie L. Patterson, Ph.D., Director, African & African Diaspora Studies and Clinical Professor, Public Administration, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs
• Chanelle N. Rose '97, MA '99, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Rowan University and Author