Johnny E. Williams (PhD.) is a professor of sociology at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. He primarily investigates how culture (i.e., shared beliefs, values, and meaning systems) sustains and challenges social order. He is the author of two books: African American Religion and the Civil Rights Movement in Arkansas (2003, University of Mississippi Press) and Decoding Racial Ideology in Genomics (2016, Lexington Books). He has also authored numerous book chapters, journal articles, and editorials in his fields of expertise. Williams is currently writing two book manuscripts: The Persistence of White Sociology (Palgrave MacMillan) and White Public Sociology Does Not Equal Organic Sociology: False Claims, White Supremacy, and Misplaced Diversity (Bristol University Press).

David G. Embrick (PhD) is an associate professor with a joint position at the Africana Studies Institute and the Department of Sociology and is affiliate faculty at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Connecticut. He is also the Director of Research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity at UConn Hartford. He is past-founding co-editor of the highly ranked academic journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. His research has centered largely on the impact of contemporary forms of racism on people of color. He has published extensively on diversity ideology; racism, space, and place; racial microaggressions; and social exclusion in online virtual environments. His most recent research centers on comparative/global anti-Black racism, white sanctuaries, and whitelash.