Million Dollar Hoods: Mapping the Fiscal and Human Cost of Mass Incarceration in Los Angeles by Kelly Lytle Hernandez

Ethnic Studies 30th Anniversary Event

Abstract: Los Angeles County operates the largest jail system in the United States, which incarcerates more people than any other nation on Earth. This talk provides an introduction to the Million Dollar Hoods(MDH) project, method, and impact. Led by Professor Lytle, MDH is a university-based, community-driven research project that maps the fiscal and human cost of mass incarceration in Los Angeles.

Bio: Kelly Lytle Hernandez: An Ethnic Studies undergraduate alumnus, Kelly Lytle Hernandez is a professor of History, African American Studies, and Urban Planning at UCLA where she holds The Thomas E. Lifka Endowed Chair in History. She is also the Director of the Ralph J Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA. One of the nation’s leading experts on race. immigration, and mass incarceration, she is the author of th eaward-winning books, Migra! A History of the US Border Patrol and City of Inmates: Conquest. Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging In Los Angeles. Currently. Professor Lytle Hernandez Is the Director and Principal Investigator for Million Dollar Hoods. a research project that maps the fiscal and human cost of mass Incarceration in Los Angeles. In 2019. she was named a MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow.

Discussants:

Mohamed Abuyame (Ethnic Studies PhD alumnus, 2017): Mohamed Abumaye is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at California State University, San Marcos. His work centers on the intersections between military and police violence, centering the role of Somali youth activists in exposing the relationship between U.S. militarism in Somalia and hyper-policing in City Heights, San Diego.

Jesse Mills (Ethnic Studies PhD alumnus, 2008): Jesse Mills is Associate Professor and former Chair of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego. He has conducted research and volunteered in the City Heights Somali community since 2002, where he has served as ESL teacher, youth mentor, educational consultant, organizational advisor, and community member.