Black Lives Texas

In this special episode of Black Lives Texas Mikkel Leveriza, the Grants and Contacts Specialist for IUPRA, sits down with Dr. Tasha Philpot a professor of Government from UT Austin, and Briona Jenkins of Austin Justice Coalition to talk about life in Texas post the 2020 election. They discuss national issues, issues facing Black Texans, as well as policies on the local level in Austin. Learn more about Briona and her work with AJC: https://austinjustice.org/Learn more about Dr. Philpot: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/government/faculty/profile.php?eid=tsp228Learn more about IUPRA :https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/iupra/

On this episode our hosts interview each other and we get to know more about Tracie and Ricardo. Dr. Tracie A. Lowe is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin for IUPRA. Her research focuses on the experiences of Black students in higher education with a particular focus on Black women graduate students. Additionally, her research interests include issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Ricardo Lowe, Jr. is a Research Associate for IUPRA and Doctoral Student in Applied Demography at UT San Antonio. He served five years as a federal statistician and is well-versed in statistical application and quantitative methods. His research interests are broad, but typically involve suburbanization, maternal health, and education.Learn more about the mission and work of IUPRA:https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/iupraFollow IUPRA on Social Media:https://twitter.com/IUPRAhttps://www.facebook.com/IUPRA

Mikkel Leveriza is a Grants and Contacts Specialist for IUPRA. He is an experienced higher education professional and previously worked at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His areas of expertise include grants and contracts management, program administration, and higher education finance. Mikkel has a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from St. Edward's University. Learn more about the mission and work of IUPRA:https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/iupraFollow IUPRA on Social Media:https://twitter.com/IUPRAhttps://www.facebook.com/IUPRA

Holly Collins served as the Multimedia and Communications Specialist for IUPRA from 2018-2020. She studied Professional Writing and Journalism at Miami University in Ohio. Holly is a community oriented mission driven storyteller, and her work at IUPRA helped bring the Institutes engaging work to the public. Learn more about the mission and work of IUPRA:https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/iupraFollow IUPRA on Social Media:https://twitter.com/IUPRAhttps://www.facebook.com/IUPRA

Annika is the Assistant Director of Policy Research at IUPRA, where she serves as the liaison to the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, community members, and policy makers at all levels. She received a dual Master’s degree in Psychology and Public Policy at Georgetown University and her Bachelors in Psychology from the Commonwealth Honors College at UMass Amherst.Annika previously served as an AmeriCorps member with at-risk youth in rural New Mexico and Austin, Texas.Learn more about the mission and work of IUPRA:https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/iupraFollow IUPRA on Social Media:https://twitter.com/IUPRAhttps://www.facebook.com/IUPRA

Dr. Danielle C. H. Wright is the Associate Director for the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis (IUPRA) and is an assistant professor of practice at the University of Texas, Austin. At the institute, Dr. Wright oversees all policy, research and strategic planning for the center. Dr. Wright’s areas of expertise include higher education and community engagement. Her research areas cover critical inquiry, race and identity, social cultural analysis, resiliency, critical policy analysis, and P-20 education.Learn more about the mission and work of IUPRA:https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/iupraFollow IUPRA on Social Media:https://twitter.com/IUPRAhttps://www.facebook.com/IUPRA