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Racial Justice

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Campus Examples: Racial Justice Community Fund Project and Student Profiles

Ten teams participated in the initiative in the Racial Justice Community Fund in 2020-2021 with a range of focus areas including:

• Christopher Newport University: The project, designed in partnership with the Center for Community Engagement, student leaders, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Campus Election and Engagement Project Fellow and the local NAACP, focused on interrelated campus and community activities to address racial inequities at CNU and in Newport News, Virginia.

• Kentucky Wesleyan University: The Bonner Leader Program worked with the Black Student Union (BSU), Student Organization of Latinx (SOL), local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and American Association of University Women (AAUW) chapters to create long-term strategies for educating young people about voting and anti-racism on campus and in Owensburg, Kentucky.

• Mars Hill University: The team partnered with the Madison County Racial Justice Coalition, whose membership includes local organizers connected with the Alliance of Baptists, Rural Organizing and Resilience, Community Housing Coalition of Madison County, and Mars Hill students, staff, and faculty. The Coalition worked to address systemic injustice in local policies and practices, including with the town of Mars Hill. Read Mars Hill University’s profile here! Also, check out the student profile about Jon-Laurence (JL) Fleming.

• Rutgers University - Camden: With involvement of the Bonner Program and faculty, Rutgers Camden created an an oral history project in Camden linked with courses, civic engagement, and city projects. This project draws on transitional justice mechanisms (TJMs) to promote racial justice and healing, which promote healing in societies that have experienced trauma, violence, conflict, and sustained forms of discrimination and oppression. Read Rutgers University - Camden’s profile here! Also, read the student profile about Josefina Ewins.

• Sewanee: University of the South: The Sewanee team partnered with the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation to develop cultural artifacts and a heritage trail through Sewanee’s historic Black neighborhood. Through both physical and digital means, they created strategies to uplift and celebrate the hidden history of African Americans, with a large community event, links to first year courses and student orientation, and research. Read the Sewanee: University of the South profile here!
  

• Spelman College: The Spelman team launched and organized an online national conference for college students to address homelessness, especially in Atlanta and explore how it particularly is affecting the African American community. They mobilized students across the Atlanta University Center to plan and carry out programming. They involved key local, regional, and national leaders and experts as presenters. Moreover, they intend to host this event again, finding other partner institutions. Read the student profile about Antonia Izuogu here!

• Stockton University: The Stockton team partnered with the NAACP Atlantic City chapter to focus on voter engagement, especially of African Americans. They are organizing long-term strategies for civic engagement, voter education, and policy work. The team aims to build a coalition of Stockton community members and Atlantic city residents to reach the 28,307 people over 18 years who are potentially eligible to vote.

• Ursinus College: The Ursinus team partnered with Centro de Cultura, Arte Trabajo y Educación (CCATE), a long-term partner who addresses hunger in nearby Norristown. They hope to better understand food security in the area through a community-based participatory research study and issue brief. This year, they will develop an expanded program to ensure that Latinx residents of the area, some of whom may be undocumented, have access to food (especially due to hardships posed by the COVID-19 pandemic). Ultimately, the team will create a sustained program at CCATE. Read Ursinus College’s profile here!

• Washington & Lee University: The W&L Team launched the “Food Justice = Racial Justice” nutritional equity project. They worked on food justice in the greater Rockbridge and Lexington area, an issue that disproportionately affects BIPOC residents. The team conducted research concerning the underserved demographics and their environment, targeting the causes of food insecurity specific to the people of Rockbridge. They create strategies to ensure that underserved residents receive nourishing food that respects their tradition, culture, and autonomy. The coalition included students, Bonner alumni, and local partners. Read the Washington & Lee University profile here!

• Widener University: The Widener team worked to address health disparities, especially those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They worked with Everest Urgent Care and Widener to ensure that uninsured Chester residents (many of whom are non-citizen, foreign- born, or African American) can access COVID-19 testing at a reduced or free cost. They conducted research to understand the health disparities and develop educational programming at Widener to increase knowledge of health access and inequities, ultimately forming a health equity policy research and action group. Read the Widener University profile here!

In summer 2021, with the leadership and skills of two National Bonner Interns, Sierra Medina and Joshua Perez, the Foundation team worked to gather the inspirational stories of many of the teams. They developed longer journalistic profiles for most of the teams as well as a few of the individuals. You’ll find these linked above on the Bonner Foundation's website, with many of them also sharing related news stories featured in local papers and websites.