Join us on Zoom for our February Ideas Forum featuring Dr. Raleigh Blasdell, North Central College Associate Professor of Criminology and Sociology; Chairperson Department of Sociology Criminology and Anthropology.

In 2022, a group of North Central College students, mentored by Dr. Raleigh Blasdell, researched and compiled a report on the history of Naperville’s ‘sundown policy’.

They investigated the role of churches in the city’s racial history and current practices, the impact of laws and policies, how zoning impacts sociodemographic populations, the challenges for Black business owners, and how Naperville’s public schools are addressing educational issues regarding racism and inequality.

Dr. Blasdell will discuss the findings, implications, and future directions for the research the students began in 2022. She will also engage with the audience, hearing their experiences and thoughts about the project.

Raleigh Blasdell (she/her) is a Criminologist who has taught at the collegiate level since 2008. She joined NCC’s Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology faculty in 2019 and teaches criminology and criminal justice courses. Dr. Blasdell was instrumental in establishing the Criminology major, which launched in Fall 2022, and the Cardinal Destination Course Abroad, which explored Criminal Justice in England (May 2023).

Dr. Blasdell earned her Ph.D. in Criminology from The University of South Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Illinois State University. She graduated from the Tokiwa International Victimology Institute’s (Tokiwa, Japan) Asian Postgraduate Course on Victimology and Victim Assistance. Before academia, she worked as a victim advocate (working with women and children who had been abused) and as a terrorism intelligence analyst.

Dr. Blasdell enjoys working with her students (who affectionately call her “Prof. B.”) to maintain an active research agenda that studies minoritized populations, victims of crime, and restorative justice. She has presented original research both independently and with students at over two dozen academic conferences across the United States and abroad.

This event is free, but please register.