This piece is an excerpt from Augustana College News Center.
Avery D. Pearl ’18 didn’t expect to be among the few chosen for the American Political Science Association (APSA) Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) at Duke University.
Named for political scientist and Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, the intensive five-week program encourages undergraduates from racial and ethnic minorities to pursue careers in political science by introducing them to the world of doctoral study. Each year, the APSA RBSI selects between 15-20 students from a national pool of applicants. Pearl learned of the program from his advisor, Dr. Christopher Whitt, an associate professor of political science and chair of Augustana’s department.
His paper, “Black Perceptions Toward Black Lives Matter,” looks into specific factors that affect black people’s perceptions of the movement, including political views, level of education, income, gender and age. In September, he presented his RBSI research at the 2017 APSA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Pearl is a student at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, majoring in political science and Africana studies. As Vice President of his college’s NAACP chapter, Pearl has worked to improve the social life of all disenfranchised people on campus and create an environment which embodies diversity and inclusion. Learn more about Avery Pearl.