Departments and Research Centers

Center for Racial Justice

The Center for Racial Justice is an innovative and cross-disciplinary hub in which social/racial justice changemakers, scholars, and students work collaboratively to develop new tools and strategies in the pursuit of racial justice.

Showing 61 - 90 of 229 results

News

Ostfeld appointed research director of the Center for Racial Justice

Dec 5, 2022

Political scientist Dr. Mara Celicia Ostfeld has been named the inaugural research director of the Center for Racial Justice (CRJ) at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. In this role, Ostfeld will lead the development of the...

Mara Ostfeld speaking at a Poverty Solutions event.

News

Ford School faculty flex expertise in analysis of midterm elections

Nov 11, 2022

Leading up to and following the midterm elections, Ford School faculty provided their expertise on pertinent issues, ranging from redistricting to the economy to voter priorities. Justin Wolfers discussed the logic behind betting on elections in...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

News

Detroiters say quality K-12 schools is top policy priority for November elections

Nov 3, 2022

Detroit residents say the quality of K-12 schools is their top priority for the November elections, followed closely by inflation, affordable housing, affordable health care, and crime. That's according to a new representative survey of...

News

Candidate support for reparations would mobilize Detroit voters

Nov 2, 2022

While most Detroiters intend to vote in the November midterm election, those who are uncertain about voting or unlikely to vote could be motivated to cast a ballot by a candidate's support for reparations, according to a new survey from the...

News

Diversity, equity, and inclusion fall 2022 update

Oct 10, 2022

Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes, DEI Officer Stephanie Sanders, and Associate DEI Officer Dominique Adams-Santos provide an update on how the Ford School is examining, learning, and connecting with our community to further Diversity, Equity, and...

In the Media

Brave NoiseCat provides insight into U.S. tribal system

Sep 30, 2022 The Robesonian

Julian Brave NoiseCat, The Robesonian: "Because in the strange racial politics of the United States, the Lumbee htave to dance hard. The tribe has been seeking federal recognition through various means since 1888, when they first petitioned the...

Photo of Julian Brave NoiseCat speaking to an audience of Ford School, U-M, and area community members

News

Ford School events for fall 2022 explore racial justice, international affairs, the state of democracy and more

Aug 30, 2022

The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for the fall 2022 Policy Talks @ the Ford School series and other special public events hosted with partners from across campus. We are hosting distinguished policymakers, scholars,...

Ambassador Susan Rice and Michael Barr lead an event at the Ford School

News

Center for Racial Justice welcomes inaugural visiting fellows

Aug 24, 2022

The Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice proudly welcomes Atinuke (Tinu) Adediran, Makeda Easter, and Julian Brave NoiseCat as inaugural Visiting Fellows for the 2022-23 academic year. The visiting fellows program recognizes and supports the...

Headshots of Atinuke Adediran, Makeda Easter, and Julian Brave NoiseCat

News

Celeste Watkins-Hayes named interim dean of the Ford School

Jul 15, 2022

Sociologist Celeste Watkins-Hayes, currently the associate dean for academic affairs, will become interim dean of the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, pending Board of Regents approval at its July...

News

Anti-Racism Collaborative awards over $122,000 in Graduate Research Grants

Jun 21, 2022

The Anti-Racism Collaborative, administered by the National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID), has awarded summer research grants to 26 University of Michigan (U-M) graduate students. The Rackham Graduate School and the Center for Racial...

Headshots of recipients of Anti-Racism Collaborative grants

News

Center for Racial Justice calls for inaugural visiting fellows applications

Jun 9, 2022

The Center for Racial Justice has opened applications for the inaugural cohort of the Visiting Fellows Program for the 2022-23 academic year. The program is a nine-month, non-residential fellowship that offers social justice leaders, activists,...

A 6x3 grid of illustrated silhouettes on individual solid colored backgrounds in the U-M secondary color palette

State & Hill

“More is more”

May 31, 2022

Michael S. Barr’s first term as dean By Laura K. Lee In October 2021, the Regents of the University of Michigan approved Provost Susan M. Collins’ recommendation to reappoint Michael S. Barr as Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of the Ford School...

Montage of photos of Dean Barr at commencement, in the Great Hall, and seated eating with students

News

Ford School to expand anti-racism faculty, address environment and health disparities

May 26, 2022

The Ford School will participate in a cross-campus University of Michigan initiative to address environmental racism and promote health equity. Three tenure track faculty positions will be hired, one each in the Ford School, the School for...

News

Watkins-Hayes and Ali comment on racial and domestic terrorism aspects of the Buffalo shooting

May 20, 2022

In the aftermath of the racially-motivated shooting spree in Buffalo that left 10 people dead, Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Ford School associate dean for academic affairs and director of the Center for Racial Justice, and professor of practice Javed Ali,...

Headshots of Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Javed Ali

News

Ford School experts comment on Buffalo shooting

May 16, 2022

Ford School experts are available to comment on the racially motivated massacre over the weekend at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Celeste Watkins-Hayes Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the associate dean for academic affairs and...

News

U-M virtual series to explore racialized health, economic disparities stemming from COVID-19

Mar 29, 2022

The University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy is kicking off a virtual event series this week with a discussion about the local impact of safety nets on communities of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists at Friday's event,...

Lightly styled graphic with text that says "COVID-19 reflections: A series on race, health, and economic justice"

News

Goldman Sachs Foundation invests in Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice

Mar 7, 2022

As part of its One Million Black Women (OMBW) initiative, Goldman Sachs becomes the inaugural funder of the Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice Visiting Fellows Program. The investment will fund one visiting fellow for the 2022-2023 academic...

In the Media

Watkins-Hayes joins El-Sayed to talk about HIV/AIDS impact

Feb 23, 2022 America Dissected

Celeste Watkins-Hayes, associate dean for academic affairs and founding director of the Center for Racial Justice, recently appeared on, America Dissected, a podcast hosted by Abdul El-Sayed, former Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence. She...

News

Application deadline nears for inaugural racial justice reading circles

Feb 7, 2022

In an effort to expand the ways in which the university community approaches discussion of racial equity, the Center for Racial Justice has established two reading circles for the winter 2022 term. The reading circles are open to graduate students,...

News

Ford School Black History Month activities cover a wide spectrum of topics

Feb 2, 2022

The Ford School and its research centers will be hosting a variety of events during February, Black History Month, examining a range of topics concerning the struggles for racial equity. The Center for Racial Justice, Weiser Diplomacy Center and...

News

Watkins-Hayes named as inaugural fellow in new anti-racism program

Jan 21, 2022

The Anti-Racism Collaborative—a strategic space for U-M community engagement on research and scholarship on anti-racism—has named five faculty members as Research and Community Impact Fellows: Melissa Borja, Charles H.F. Davis III, William Lopez,...

News

Bynum's new partnership with Netflix highlights banking discrimination

Dec 14, 2021

In a lengthy interview for Essence, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence and Hope Credit Union CEO Bill Bynum spoke about his partnership with Netflix to highlight banking discrimination in a 3-part limited series called Banking On...

State & Hill

Joint PhD program celebrates 20 years

Dec 13, 2021

Since 2001, nearly 100 students have earned a doctoral degree from the Ford School's pioneering joint PhD program. Students receive grounding in their discipline of choice from Michigan's top-ranked social science departments—economics, sociology,...

A group of PhD graduates at commencement, 2016

State & Hill

Letter from Dean Michael S. Barr

Dec 13, 2021

For 18 months, while the Diag was calm, Weill Hall stood mostly empty, and the Big House was quiet, our community was hard at work to address urgent societal challenges from the pandemic, racial injustice, assaults on democracy, climate change, and...

State & Hill

Celeste Watkins-Hayes on racial justice and the promise of opportunity

Dec 13, 2021

By Olivia Bradish (BA ‘23) From childhood, sociologist and new associate dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes was interested in social justice. She says she is "grounded in an upbringing where she was acutely aware of the consequences of inequality and the...

News

Second round of anti-racism faculty hiring proposals due Oct. 1

Sep 16, 2021

As the University of Michigan’s Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative moves forward, the Office of the Provost is inviting proposals for the second round of clusters of new tenure-track faculty whose scholarship focuses on structural racism and...

Aerial of U-M central campus including Weill Hall

News

U-M welcomes first Anti-Racism Collaborative postdoctoral fellows

Aug 31, 2021

The University of Michigan is welcoming the first two postdoctoral fellows under its new Anti-Racism Collaborative. Dominique Adams-Santos will work with Celeste Watkins-Hayes in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy as the associate...

News

Racial justice, national security, global health in focus at Ford School autumn events

Aug 29, 2021

Fall term 2021 will see another packed events calendar, as the Ford School continues to attract some of the most compelling experts and voices from around the world. In conjunction with the launch of the new Center for Racial Justice, the Racial...

fall 2021 events lineup with headshots and Policy Talks bracket

News

U-M Ford School launching Center for Racial Justice, aims to help address societal challenges

Aug 24, 2021

The University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy is launching a new Center for Racial Justice designed to expand knowledge about the complex intersections between race and public policy and create a community of leaders, scholars and students...

News

Anti-racism faculty hiring moves forward, Ford School focus on racial justice in technology

Mar 25, 2021

Eight new University of Michigan faculty positions have been selected for funding in the first round of hires that will be a part of the Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative. One of those new hires will be at the Ford School, with a focus on...