Engagement Opportunities

students listening to a center for racial justice event

Opportunities to Publish

Faculty and students looking to share their research with policymakers, journalists, and community leaders are invited to write policy briefs with the Center for Racial Justice. This opportunity allows scholars to promote their work among key audiences engaged in the policymaking process. Interested participants should have original data, analyses, and key findings on issues at the intersection of racial justice and public policy. CRJ staff will support scholars in framing their work as a policy brief and will handle distribution and promotion among relevant audiences. Students who author policy briefs with the CRJ receive compensation.

Contact Center for Racial Justice Research Director Mara Ostfeld with questions and proposals. 

CRJ Student Initiative Fund

The CRJ Student Initiative Fund provides financial support to Ford School students and student organizations for initiatives and projects that deepen the critical understanding of race and public policy, with a focus on antiracism and racial justice. Apply here.

Graduate Student Workshops: Decolonial Dialogues

Decolonial Dialogues offers a supportive community for University of Michigan doctoral students whose scholarship seeks to understand causes of racial inequity, racialized experiences, and/or contribute to more racially equitable outcomes. Decolonial Dialogues meets bi-weekly and provides opportunities for students to:

  • Learn about and connect with faculty exploring issues of racial justice through different disciplinary lenses;
  • Share, refine, and develop their own research; and
  • Build relationships with other students working on similar research.

Doctoral Student Writing Retreats 

The Center for Racial Justice hosts structured monthly writing retreats for graduate students studying issues of racial justice during the academic year. We recognize that working on research projects can feel isolating, and these retreats offer a space for graduate students with shared academic interests to progress on their writing goals and build community with peers.