WSU to Launch Initiative Addressing Structural Racism in Detroit

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Wayne State University is set to launch a new initiative that helps local nonprofits address issues of structural racism, via a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek.

Sixty nonprofit leaders will participate in the Detroit Equity Action Lab, which kicks off this summer. Through workshops and discussions, they will identify long-standing structural racism, create action plans to promote change, develop policy recommendations, and improve awareness about racial equity issues in the community.

“We are ready to create change-oriented projects that impact our community and our city, and we hope to inspire progress throughout the country as well,” says Jocelyn Benson, dean of the Wayne State University Law School.

The program will be housed within the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights that adjoins the law school. The facility provides resources for research and community outreach related to modern challenges of racial justice.

“There is great need for a resource of this nature in our city,” says M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University. “The Keith Center is committed to promoting equality and justice. Local nonprofit organizations can be key drivers in the discussion and mitigation of civil rights challenges, and we are fortunate to have found an ally in this project with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.”