Historical Justice for Sterilization Survivors? Redressing Eugenics in the United States
Alex Minna Stern, PhD
This talk pivots around the current bill being considered in the California legislature to compensate survivors of the state's 20th century eugenic sterilization program. I explore the genesis of historical and demographic research that informs this bill, which is based at U-M's Sterilization and Social Justice Lab and encompasses qualitative and quantitative methods and humanistic approaches. In addition to reflecting on how historical research can inform social justice efforts, I will discuss compensation and memorialization as forms of restorative justice with the potential to redress past state harm and medical malfeasance.