On October 1, the MacArthur Foundation announced their 2024 Genius Grant winners. One of the recipients is Dr. Dorothy Roberts.

Many AAUW-WA members will remember Dr. Roberts’ presentation for our 2021 Health Matters! webinar.

Dr. Roberts is a professor of sociology and law at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a legal scholar and public policy researcher exposing racial inequities embedded within health and social service systems. Her work encompasses reproductive health, bioethics, and child welfare. She sheds light on systemic inequities, amplifies the voices of those directly affected, and boldly calls for wholesale transformation of existing systems.

From the MacArthur Foundation website:

“Roberts argues that the engrained oppressive features of the current system render it beyond repair. She calls for creating an entirely new approach focused on supporting families rather than punishing them. Her support for dismantling the current system of child welfare is unsettling to some, but her provocation inspires many to think more critically about its poor track record and harmful design. By uncovering the complex forces underlying social systems and institutions and uplifting the experiences of people caught up in them, Roberts creates opportunities to imagine and build more equitable and responsive ways to ensure child and family safety.”

The MacArthur Fellowship is awarded to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.

The selection criteria are 1. Exceptional creativity, 2. Promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishments and, 3. Potential for the Fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.