Kicking off Rider University’s Unity Day activities on October 9, Dr. Melissa Lacewell-Harris, associate professor of political science at Princeton University, shared her analysis of the impact of the black vote on the Democratic presidential primaries and the politics of Hurricane Katrina. Lacewell-Harris addressed approximately 150 members of the Rider University community on how race plays a critical role in the shaping of one’s feelings, opinions and the decision-making process in the world of politics. She is author of Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought.