Congratulations to Prof. Kelly Lytle Hernandez

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernandez has been named director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies effective July 2019.

Dr. Lytle Hernandez had served as interim director of the center since the 2017-2018 academic year. Her appointment comes during the historic 50th anniversary year for the ethnic studies research centers that form the core of the Institute of American Cultures.

Dr. Lytle Hernandez is one of the nation’s leading historians of race, policing, immigration, and incarceration in the United States and an award-winning author. She is currently the director and principal investigator for Million Dollar Hoods, a UCLA-based research project which maps the fiscal and human cost of mass incarceration in Los Angeles.

With her years of experience and proven track record in ethnic studies, social justice, operational leadership and strategic program development, Dr. Lytle Hernandez will be an outstanding leader for the Bunche Center. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernandez!