
Race, Racism, and Social Justice
In the area of Race, Racism, and Social Justice HFA’s faculty, departments, and programs boldly confront the global histories of race and racism, of systemic inequality and oppression, and of social justice movements and liberatory ideas.
- Dedicated departments: The historically significant W.E.B. DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies, and the pathbreaking Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, are particularly notable.
- Civic Engagement and Service-Learning (CESL): Students across HFA participate in the dynamic projects hosted via Civic Engagement and Service-Learning (CESL) promotes lifelong learning and democratic engagement, partnering with communities on and off campus to work collectively for a more just society.
- Public Engagement Project (PEP): The Public Engagement Project supports and trains faculty members to use their research to contribute to social change, inform public policy, and enrich public debate. Scholars learn new skills from experts and from each other to improve their communication and engagement with the media, community groups, policymakers, and practitioners.
- Race and Visual Culture in the Americas: One example of HFA’s faculty commitment is Ximena Gomez and Karen Kurczynski’s $250,000 Mellon Sawyer Faculty Seminar Grant for the project “Race and Visual Culture in the Americas,” in collaboration with the organization El Corazón/The Heart of Holyoke.