A new report documents widespread immigration enforcement fears among immigrant Michiganders in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and Ypsilanti. The report from the University of Michigan's Center for Racial Justice at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public ...
Most U.S. Virgin Islanders support adopting a local constitution, but a majority remain unaware of the process, according to a new report from the University of Michigan’s Center for Racial Justice and the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras.
Between 2018 and 2022, firearm homicide rates rose 48% percent for Hispanic communities in Detroit, in contrast to only 22% for white, non-Hispanics. The community continues to face heartbreak and loss in the aftermath of gun violence as institutiona...
A new report from the University of Michigan's Center for Racial Justice and the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras examines a critical disconnect in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Most residents believe the territory should ratify its own constitution,...
Each academic year the programming at the Center for Racial Justice (CRJ) looks a little bit different. We aim to create a vibrant, diverse community of racial justice leaders, scholars, and students engaged in social justice work and believe it's cr...
A new public opinion survey will be administered by University of Michigan researchers across the U.S. Virgin Islands in the weeks surrounding the territory’s Sixth Constitutional Convention. The survey will provide an independent read on how Virgin ...
Since the end of World War II, the United States has rhetorically championed the principle of “self-determination.” Yet today, more than four million Americans live in U.S. territories whose homelands are excluded from most maps and remain invisible ...
In the first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump has unleashed a whirlwind of policy shifts that have sent ripples across the globe. The responses to his administration's actions have ranged from applause to skepticism. Ford School fa...
Franshelly Martinez Ortiz, a doctoral candidate in political science and public policy at the Ford School, recently wrote a blog post, "In Michigan, conspiracy thinking can be rooted in real historic harm" for U-M's Center for Political Studies based...
More than half of residents surveyed in three Michigan communities believe significant events occur without public knowledge—a sentiment of government suspicion closely tied to conspiratorial thinking, according to a University of Michigan policy bri...
Immigration continues to be a priority in U.S. politics, with the federal government intensifying enforcement efforts through large-scale raids and with the transfer of certain detained migrants to Guantanamo Bay. These actions have fueled ongoing de...
Ford school professor Mara Ostfeld wrote with coauthors Kamri Hudgins, Erykah Noelle Benson, and Vincent Hutchings, in The Conversation about delays in the release of the Detroit Reparations Task Force report. She explains why it has been difficult f...
A single conversation with a close family member may not change a young woman’s views on policies protecting their rights, but it can strongly influence young men’s attitudes. A University of Michigan study found that family opinions heavily shape ma...
Speaking with Michigan Public, the Ford School's Mara Ostfeld discusses results from her recent research on public opinion in Michigan on immigration policy. Ostfeld stated, “U.S.-born residents living in cities with a higher proportion of foreign-bo...
Significant racial and gender disparities exist in U.S. crime victim compensation programs, revealing Black and Indigenous people as well as survivors of gender-based violence face unique challenges in obtaining financial support, according to a new ...
The Ford School’s fall event series kicked off with more than 115 people in attendance for Immigration on the Ballot, a panel discussion about the policy landscape and implications for the upcoming election, hosted by the Center for Racial Justice. “...
Michael Williams describes himself as a “closeted nerd.” Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he felt like he had to disguise his love of learning in order to blend in with his peers. “It wasn’t ‘cool’ to like school,” he explains. “You could be smart, but...
In the wake of racial justice movements across the country, the State of Michigan and some of its communities have been implementing new public safety and criminal justice policies. The perspective of Michigan's local government, public safety, and p...
Elected officials from local, county, and state government came to the Ford School to hear about the potential for collaborations with their offices and the School’s faculty, research centers, and students.
Fifteen members of the Michigan State Se...
Following the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis police, national attention is once again focused on the use of force by police. The Detroit Free Press, among other outlets, turned to a report written by Trevor Bechtel, Mara C. Ostfeld...
As police departments and activists look for strategies to reduce excessive use of force by police, new research from the University of Michigan shows limited data, lack of transparency and irregular implementation of reforms make it difficult to det...
Mara Ostfeld, PhD, associate faculty director at Poverty Solutions, assistant research scientist at the Ford School of Public Policy, research director at the Center for Racial Justice, and faculty lead for the Detroit Metro Area Community Study, foc...
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 ce...
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 Th...
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 Detroiters ...
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, pa...
Join the Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice (CRJ) and the Trotter Multicultural Center for Unpacking Election Policy: How is it Shaping Our Democracy? Lunch will be served promptly at 11:45 am.
The Trotter Distinguished Leadership Series and the Center for Racial Justice invite you to a compelling lunchtime conversation with Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14), and Dr. William D. Lopez.
Join the Ford School's Center for Racial Justice for a panelist discussion about the current immigration policy landscape and the implications for the upcoming election.
On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases about the consideration of race in college admissions, and on June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, thereby striking down the Supreme Court's 1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke ruling. Join for this virtual event to hear from Mara Ostfeld - political scientist and Research Director of the Center for Racial Justice - and Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt - 10th District Court of Appeals Judge for the State of Ohio and Ford School Towsley Policymaker in Residence - on the legal, social, and political implications of the ruling.
