This year’s Spinoza lectures will pay tribute to Charles W. Mills, author of The Racial Contract (1999); Black Rights/White Wrongs; A Critique of Racial Liberalism (2017) and many other influential contibutions to political philosophy. His work has been foundational to the field of Critical Race Theory. Last autumn, Charles Mills died at the age of 70. He was to hold the Spinoza Chair in 2022. Professors Lewis R. Gordon and Philomena Essed have been invited to speak in his place. Gordon will be the first speaker on 24 May with his lecture Shifting the Geography of Reason, followed by Essed on 16 June with her lecture From Everyday Racism to Cultures of Care in Higher Education: A Social Justice Route of Difference, Daring, and Deep Diving.