Georgia State College of Law has announced the five winners of its first ever Racial Justice Innovations Initiative. The program funds projects to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion within the College of Law.
“The protests following the senseless killing of Black people last summer sparked important discussions at law schools about the actions they could take to advance racial equality and an inclusive community,” said then interim dean Leslie Wolf. “In response to my request for ideas, Distinguished Professor Natsu Saito proposed the initiative as a positive way to achieve our goal, which was promptly endorsed by my advisory committee and me.”
All law students, faculty and staff were invited to submit proposals for projects. Members of the dean’s advisory council reviewed the proposals and selected five to receive funding from the College of Law. All of the projects are aimed at sustaining an inclusive environment within the College of Law and to inspire all members of the community to further equity in the profession.
Associate director of the Center for Law, Health & Society, Stacie Kershner’s submission was among those selected. She proposed to add content to the “Health is a Human Right: Race and Place in America” exhibit that highlights important public health events that have occurred since the exhibit was first displayed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s David J. Sencer CDC Museum. With a graduate research assistant, she has begun selecting images and drafting text related to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the disparate impact of COVID-19 on minorities, and the recent racial justice protests.
“Now eight years old, the years since development of the original exhibit have unfortunately demonstrated how wide the gap of health disparities still is for minorities, low-income communities, and other socially disadvantaged populations,” said Kershner. “To truly explore and invest in interventions to improve health equity for all populations, recognizing and naming structural racism and having difficult conversations on how to address this as a root cause for health disparities must come first. The exhibit can be a tool to beginning these conversations.”
To read more about the Racial Justice Initiative, visit https://law.gsu.edu/2020/11/30/racial-justice-innovation-award-recipients/.
To view the exhibit online or in person, visit publichealth.gsu.edu/health-exhibit.