Opposing Racism and Discrimination through Public Policy and Leadership

Research & Insights

Explore upcoming events on understanding and addressing racism.

HKS Events

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at HKS

“One of our core values at the School is belief in the worth of each person regardless of their race and other characteristics. We must hold true to that value in everything we do—as we work with and learn from each other, and as we apply our skills and knowledge to make a more just society.”

Dean Douglas Elmendorf

Read the latest message about Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging from Dean Elmendorf

Harvard Kennedy School’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (ODIB)

Robbin Chapman ODIB works to advance the School as a place where every member of our community will thrive. Cultivating and supporting an anti-racist community is integral to achieving this goal. The office regularly collaborates with HKS departments and centers on projects geared towards creating an anti-racist culture, such as Community Conversations and the Orientation for Students of Color.

The department is led by Dr. Robbin Chapman, Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Resources

Race, Research and Policy Portal (RRAPP)

The Race, Research and Policy Portal is a free online resource dedicated to summarizing and promoting research publications on diversity, racial equity, and antiracist organizational change in private, public, and non-profit firms and entities. Many of the resources highlight academic studies, which are often hidden behind paywals and are subsequently underutilized. RRAPP helps changemakers learn and find the tools they need.

The Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management

The Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management is part of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Since 1980 it has conducted research to promote sound policy and effective management in the administration of safety and justice.

The William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice

The William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice at Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership advances the social justice and civil rights legacy of William Monroe Trotter through research on social justice, community engagement, and engagement with government and other organizations.

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Racial justice, racial equity, and anti-racism reading list

The HKS Library has created a reading list that is inspired and largely informed by the Institutional Anti-Racism and Accountability Project at the Shorenstein Center in partnership with the HKS Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Institutional Anti-racism and Accountability Project (IARA)

The Institutional Anti-racism and Accountability Project is an initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center that uses research and policy to promote anti-racism as a core value and institutional norm.

Black America and COVID-19

This collection from the Harvard Library documents the experience of COVID-19 on Black communities in America. Its intention is to create a collective conversation of material for teaching and learning about the contemporary effects of COVID-19 on the Black community as it is tied to the historical legacy of race in America.

Harvard Journal of African American Policy

The Harvard Journal of African American Policy is the second-oldest, student-run review published annually by the Harvard Kennedy School. Its mission is to educate and empower in order to improve the quality of public policies affecting the African American community specifically and the African diaspora at large.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging c ollection

This HKS collection of books, films, and other resources is intended to foster community discussion and understanding around race, gender, cultural difference, systems of oppression and other topics pertaining to diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Courses

Race and Racism in the Making of the United States as a Global Power

DPI-385M

The course is in response to longstanding efforts by HKS students, and most recently, the HKS Equity Coalition, to insist that understanding race and racism and their intersecting forms of power and oppression is essential to an excellent education at

Race, Inequality, and American Democracy

DPI-391

The United States’ global dominance has long been the envy of the world. But the role of race to native born and newcomer alike has been treated often as aberrational, an unfortunate artifact of the nation’s past.