Cheryl I. Harris

Cheryl I. Harris holds the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at UCLA School of Law, with joint appointment in African American Studies. Her groundbreaking scholarship in Critical Race Theory examines how racial frameworks shape legal interpretations of events like Hurricane Katrina, admissions policies, and employment discrimination cases.

Harris's research focuses on:

• Theoretical foundations of race and law
• Civil rights litigation strategies
• Employment discrimination jurisprudence
• Historical dimensions of racial inequality
• Constitutional implications of racial preferences

Her influential publications consistently challenge conventional legal interpretations of equality and discrimination, with recent work examining intersectionality frameworks and political marginalization. Harris has lectured globally on race and equality and contributed to major media discussions on civil rights issues.

Major Honors:

• Clements Prize (2010)
• Lora Romero First Book Prize Honorable Mention (2011)
• John Hope Franklin Book Prize Honorable Mention (2011)

She has served as faculty director for UCLA's Critical Race Studies Program and received the ACLU Foundation Distinguished Professor Award for Civil Rights Education.