Nevada Humanities, in partnership with the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, is pleased to announce Linda Villarosa as the 2024 Robert Laxalt Distinguished Writer. Villarosa is a journalist, novelist, and educator, and she is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine where she covers race, inequality, and public health. 

Join Linda Villarosa, author of Under The Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America, and Melanie Duckworth, Executive Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, in a conversation about Villarosa’s reporting into how Black Americans’ health outcomes are disproportionately worse in the the United States and the underlying societal causes that led to this result. Villarosa and Duckworth will also discuss how struggles with mental illness for Black Americans are compounded by issues of racism, perception, and bias, and the ways in which psychological wellbeing can impact medical care. Linda Villarosa is the recipient of the 2024 Robert Laxalt Distinguished Writer Award, jointly awarded by the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada Humanities, and the Laxalt family.

This event is free and open to the public, but we ask that you RSVP in advance.