“New Racism in the Old South” will be the topic of discussion at Coastal Carolina University's Tea and Ethics session set for 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15 in the Recital Hall of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

The event will repeat on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m. at the University's Myrtle Beach Education Center at U.S. 17 Bypass and 79th Avenue North.

Jason Eastman, assistant professor of sociology, will focus on racial discrepancies and inequalities present in contemporary society. “Close introspection reveals we have not done away with racism,” says Eastman. “It still exists in a form that is more covert, more indirect, and harder to see than it has been in times past. However, when revealed we find the new racism is just as powerful in maintaining the old inequalities of the South.”

Prior to joining CCU faculty in 2007, Eastman was a graduate instructor at FSU, a lecturer at Buffalo State College and an adjunct professor at Niagara University.

Eastman earned a bachelor's degree in human relations from the University of Pittsburgh in 2000, a master's degree in sociology and a doctorate degree in equality and social justice from Florida State University.

Tea and Ethics is sponsored by the University’s Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The purpose of the center is to cultivate and promote awareness in the community of the importance of personal and professional integrity. For more information, contact the center director, Claudia McCollough, at 843-349-2440.