y p p ourselves as a convener and catalyzer of replicable solutions And yet, in a world desperate for data-informed solutions, we acknowledge that there is much work to be done Here we need you.
Thank you for your past support and we count on your future support.
Earl Lewis, Founding Director
On June 18th, 2024, we partnered with Rice University in Houston, Texas to host a discussion on the importance of affirmative action and how to champion efforts despite the removal of affirmative action and DEI from higher education institutions across the country. The event was part of their Juneteenth programming and drew audience members from across the Houston area The conversation, moderated by the Rice University Associate Dean of Humanities Fay Yarbrough, was centered on the collective expertise of the panelists, all of whom were authors and contributors from the Our Compelling Interests book series, a project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to increase understanding of the value of different types of diversity in all aspects of human life
Susan Sturm, Professor of Law and Social Responsibility at Columbia University, spoke about how to take small steps forward when the idea of tackling systemic racism seems too overwhelming, referencing her upcoming book Transformative Tensions: Confronting Racism to Remake Our Institutions Gary Orfield, who penned the fourth volume in the series, The Walls Around Opportunity: The Failure of Colorblind Policy for Higher Education, emphasized the importance of research and having arguments backed by data when fighting for national and political approval
Patricia Gándara, Research Professor of Education at UCLA and commentator on the next volume in the series, Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline, and Return of Standardized Testing, highlighted that outside-the-box recruitment techniques could allow higher education institutions to include talented students who have been historically and systemically marginalized due to practices like standardized testing. The event concluded with a Q&A session during which the panelists gave advice to students, faculty, and members of leadership on how to promote positive change from smaller communities to the national level
ALI cohort members, faculty, and leadership gather for a photo at the end of the 2023 Residential Program.
From July 30th-August 3rd, the Academic Leadership Institute (ALI) hosted its third annual residential program.
The Academic Leadership Institute’s (ALI) mission is to increase the representation of rising leaders and faculty of color committed to issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) The program helps colleagues on the path to becoming future presidents and provosts, and utilizes the small network of current and former presidents and provosts who have demonstrated leadership in DEI principles to provide a forum for more intentional and scalable mentoring of the next generation of such leaders. The cornerstone of this Institute is the annual residential program held at Swarthmore College.
The 2023 cohort was comprised of 22 participants from across the country selected to take part in the five-day program, which consisted of workshops, panels, and extensive discussions about the implementation of DEI in their institutions The ALI faculty was composed of an intergenerational group of higher education leaders, many of whom participated in previous iterations of the program
Following the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action at higher education institutions, the increased importance of programs like ALI was felt by cohort and faculty members alike.
PHOTOGRAPHYBYMAURAB MCCONNELL
Many of the more established leaders suggested ways to push the envelope and encouraged new leaders to strive further by creating a coalition of support ALI co-founder Dwight A McBride called this “creating your own personal board of directors.” Faculty members also encouraged the cohort to learn from history as the fight for DEI in higher education has been fought many times before.
Earl Lewis, co-founder of ALI, held a seminar titled “Future Trends and the Ongoing Politicalization of Higher Education” “I hope that attendees understood that leaders need to focus on the here and now but they have to have an eye on what the future suggests for them, the institutions they lead, and higher education more generally,” says Lewis while reflecting on his takeaways
On October 4-5, 2023, we partnered with SALA Series to host thought leaders from across the nation at the University of Michigan for a two-day summit comprised of panel discussions, fireside chats, and networking opportunities
The two-day summit kicked off with an exclusive dinner at the University of Michigan Museum of Art Summit participants and guests were welcomed to campus on October 4th with an opportunity to connect with interdisciplinary leaders
The evening also included a panel discussion surrounding the topic of political polarization in the U S and ways in which to bridge a partisan divide that often seems too big to mend. The conversation was moderated by Oral Pottinger, Partner at Mayer Brown, and featured Lynette Clemetson, Director of the U-M Wallace House Center for Journalists, and
Morgan Harper, Director of Policy & Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project
“From full football stadiums to intimate gatherings such as this, we recognize the importance of being a public institution where cross-sections of people can come together to discuss timely topics such as diversity's role in American democracy.”
-Provost Laurie McCauley
The discussion concluded with a question and answer session between panelists and the audience where topics of discussion for the following day were previewed as well
The summit reconvened Thursday, October 5th at the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. Four panel discussions and fireside chats were held during the action-packed day
The fireside chat, “Repairing our Democracy,” featured David Willbrand, Chief Legal Officer at Pacaso Inc , in conversation with the Secretary of State of Michigan, Jocelyn Benson. They discussed Benson’s background, how she decided to venture into politics, and any advice the Secretary could offer as we navigate a tumultuous time in our democracy
The second panel, “Criminal Justice Reform,” included remarks from Jarrett Adams, author and lawyer who previously served time in prison on a wrongful conviction, Marc Howard, founder and President of the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, Christopher Swanson, Genesee County Sheriff, and the Hon David Coar, retired U S District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois Conversation touched on all aspects of the criminal justice system, from policing, to courts, to jails and prison, to the integration of formerly incarcerated individuals back into their community.
The third panel, “Future of Work & the Role of Education,” featured Frank Tramble, VP of Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs at Duke University, in conversation with Aimée Eubanks Davis, founder and CEO of Braven, and Elizabeth Moje, Dean of the U-M Marsal Family School of Education
Both Eubanks Davis and Moje have a background in teaching, sixth grade and high school respectively, though each pointed to higher education as a “very significant” factor in students’ longterm success. Still, there are improvements to be made to the higher education system as social and generational changes occur across the country.
The fourth and final panel, “The Case for Reparations,” featured Earl Lewis, founder and Director of the U-M Center for Social Solutions, in conversation with Lauren Hood, Associate Professor of Practice in Urban and Regional Planning at U-M’s Taubman College, Shawn Spruce, host of Native American Calling, and Brad Bottoms, Data Scientist for the U-M Center for Social Solutions While many of the panelists were unsure if they’d see reparations in their lifetimes, they emphasized the need for hope.
Led by CSS Associate Director Alford Young Jr., The Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Wellbeing of African American Men supports scholarship and conversation. To foster this mission, the Scholars
Network has worked to develop a crossgenerational dialogue series related to Black fatherhood in Detroit.
The conversations started as an extension of Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit director Keith Bennett’s Flip the Script program, which was designed to put Wayne County’s at-risk men and women to work by breaking down employment barriers After connecting with The Scholars Network, Mr Bennett, Dr Young, and other community organizers came together to focus specifically on fatherhood across generations in Detroit’s Black community The goal of this programming is to unite the community and learn from each generation’s approach to parenting; typically, conversations feature 4-5 men from each generation, Gen Z through Baby Boomers.
The Scholars Network provided initial funding and a meeting space, the University of Michigan’s Detroit Center, for these citywide conversations. Now, nearly three years after the program’s inception, the program is self-sustaining, with hundreds of community members participating in events not just at the Detroit Center, but also at the
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and at churches across the city. As a formal community movement, the newly-named Building Black Brick Masters connects generations of black men in Detroit and beyond. Single vs. two-parent households, healthy expression of masculinity, and the role of the economy are just a fraction of the themes addressed in conversations today.
Dr. Young affirms that the experience of stewarding this programming has been rewarding. The initiative, which has since developed into an independent movement, “helped, in my view, create a more robust bridge to the Detroit community for the university, which has had trouble with this in the past ” By supporting ground-up initiatives in Detroit, Young notes that the Center for Social Solutions has played a pivotal role in “supporting a group of men in the community trying to be of service to their community, creating a space of legitimacy, authority, and status” for the discussion of Black masculinity, fatherhood, and community building
The Walls Around Opportunity: The Failure of Colorblind Policy for Higher Education
by
Gary Orfield
is the fourth volume in the Our Compelling Interests book series Orfield’s contribution to the series explores the systematic failure of American higher education to provide equity to students of color and the growing consequences in a society becoming primarily nonwhite The book details how society operates in ways that make race a powerful force in creating and sustaining unequal precollege opportunity on many levels and then tries, unsuccessfully, to resolve the issues particularly the issues of preparation and affordability with race neutral policies.
The book argues that, in the absence of affirmative action policies, attention to preparation for higher education and the cost of college is of utmost importance Without increasing higher education’s accessibility through these measures, colleges and universities become “a passive part of a system of intergenerational inequality,” says Orfield “You have to think about the nature of the society when you’re thinking about higher education, admissions, successes, and the connection with the public education that comes before higher education. If you don’t think about that, either explicitly or with a rich contextual understanding of what its realities are, you’re almost inevitably going to be perpetuating inequality.”
Orfield notes that “the book was written with the expectation that the Supreme Court was going to do something very destructive to affirmative action,” and the new paperback edition, available now through Princeton University Press, includes an afterword written by Orfield that discusses the outcomes of the legal dismantling of affirmative action by the Supreme Court. “We need to think about mobilizing our energy and not accepting defeat ”
The final Crafting Democratic Futures convening featured presentations from teams across the country and concluded with a screening of The Cost of Inheritance.
Welcoming remarks by University of Michigan President Santa Ono and introductory remarks from CSS Director Earl Lewis were followed by a series of presentations from Crafting Democratic Futures (CDF) teams. Teams summarized their work on local reparations projects, introduced community partners, and reflected on their experiences as the initial three-year duration of the project drew to a close Throughout the day, attendees heard from the following CDF teams: The University of Michigan, Central Michigan University, Rutgers University - Newark, Emory University, Spelman College, Connecticut College, Wesleyan College, Wofford College, and Concordia University
Because of the localized nature of CDF teams, projects range in focus and scope. However, certain key takeaways transcended individual teams and spoke to the guiding principles of reparative justice work. These included thinking long-term and working “for generations you may never see.” Others emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships in addition to intergenerational frameworks Multiple teams cited community engagement as their most significant accomplishment, though this community engagement took various forms: relationship building, oral histories, and qualitative research as just some of the ways CDF teams incorporate community input into their projects.
In addition to the CDF teams, further presentations at the convening included safety and security guidance from the UM Information and Technology Services team, reflections and expertise from Viriginie Ladisch of the International Center for Transitional Justice, and remarks from Darryl Ford Williams, executive producer of The Cost of Inheritance.
The Center for Social Solutions is proud to have co-produced The Cost of Inheritance: An America ReFramed Special along with WQED, and it is presented in partnership with WORLD and American Documentary The one-hour film traces the nation’s legacy of systemic inequities to modern-day America, introducing audiences to descendants of enslaved persons and slave owners, profiling their complex intertwined histories, and detailing how their quest to bridge divides galvanized them to seek reparations together
Funding for The Cost of Inheritance was provided by the Ford Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and The John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation Funding was also provided by public television viewers
Top: The world premiere of The Cost of Inheritance took place at DOCNYC, the largest documentary film festival in the U.S.
Bottom: Earl Lewis leads a conversation between the film’s director and subjects at the
film presents a nuanced view of the key issues, scope, and rationale of the reparations debate from a number of perspectives The film documents communities seeking to make amends for economic inequalities stemming from historic racial injustice to launch conversations about specific actions that aspire to close the racial wealth gap in America Participants in the film address the cumulative impact of racial discrimination and a lack of opportunities firmly rooted in the system of enslavement The film follows the long journey of individuals and communities seeking to make reparations a reality on the individual, local, and national levels
The concept for the documentary was born from our Crafting Democratic Futures project which aims to foster community-based reparations with nine partner institutions across the country Funding for the project and support for the documentary’s production came in the form of a $5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The documentary premiered nationally on January 8, 2024 on PBS and is available for streaming on PBS.org with the QR code below.
Community screenings and discussions were integral to making the launch of The Cost of Inheritance an impactful one. CSS hosted an Ann Arbor screening and panel on reparations as part of the University of Michigan MLK Day Symposium (above).
A Detroit screening at the Wright Museum of African American History (below) was followed by a discussion and Q&A session with the city’s community members to explore what local reparations could look like
resources to the task force in partnership with U-M Poverty Solutions, the Center for Equitable Family & Community Well-Being, and Rackham Graduate School
task force itself plans to make its recommendations to the Detroit City Council in March 2025
The term “climate haven” has been sweeping the media as millions of Americans pack up their bags and migrate to cities marketing themselves as refuge from the effects of climate change.
But are any areas truly safe from climate disasters, increasing in frequency and severity due to climate change? Researchers in our Water, Equity and Security initiative think not.
In a now viral article, initially published by The Conversation, authors Julie Arbit, Brad Bottoms, and Earl Lewis used publicly available data to investigate the reality of climate effects in cities dubbed climate havens by city planners, researchers, and public officials Relevant areas include Buffalo, NY, Duluth, MN, Madison, WI, Burlington, VT, and very close to home in Ann Arbor, MI
Their findings show that these cities are among those with the greatest temperature increases in the coming years Along with heatwaves, these warmer climates will become incubators for more frequent, intense storms and wildfires
City infrastructure came into question as well Many of these Midwest and Northeast regions are comprised of older cities, meaning their energy grids and stormwater systems cannot withstand worsening climate disasters or the new influx of residents This will likely translate to more frequent and longer power outages and floods
But what can be done?
Arbit states, “Decision-makers can hope for the best, but must plan for the worst That means working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change, but also assessing the community’s physical infrastructure and social safety nets for vulnerabilities that become more likely in a warming climate.”
This article garnered international attention with over 107,000 reads on The Conversation alone and was later picked up by publications like Fast Company, PBS, Yahoo News, BBC, and more. It will be published as a chapter in the book The Conversation on Extreme Weather, slated to be released in summer 2025
In collaboration with the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) and the College of Engineering, CSS Data Scientist Brad Bottoms is participating in research to investigate the impacts of flooding with the aid of the Chitwan Valley Family Study This multi-decade study examines the long-term wellbeing of families in Nepal’s Chitwan Valley, a previously isolated area that has become the transportation hub for all of Nepal due to the construction of roads in the area from the 1980s forward The team stayed at the facility of the Institute for Social and Environmental Research - Nepal (ISERN), a collaborative partner of the University of Michigan focused on improving human lives and environmental conditions
In support of the Chitwan Valley Family Study, Bottoms was able to visit local communities to learn more about their experience being affected by floods Bottoms notes that the use of the word “flood” is reserved for extreme disasters in the Chitwan Valley context: “While the word ‘flood’ often evokes images of water levels rising up to cover homes and businesses, here it was reserved for large-scale events that reshape landscapes and forcefully swept away structures.
Events where water levels rise more slowly and sit in homes, even if levels are high, were referred to as ‘ponding’ and ‘inundation ’ These events happened annually and still disrupted lives and damaged property.”
Stories told by community members included a river slowly encroaching on a family’s land, taking away tens of acres over time and disrupting their ability to use this fertile land to their advantage Others shared their memories of the 2003 flood, a brutal event that destroyed over 1,400 homes throughout the region. Bottoms notes that “these experiences highlighted not just the immediate impact of major floods, but the ongoing struggle to adapt to a changing environment ”
Through the lens of CSS’ Water, Equity and Security initiative, studies of the natural landscape and conversations with local families in the Chitwan Valley raise questions about the social impacts of these events on communities. The information raised on this trip represents the beginning of a larger project that will examine how flooding has shaped communities over time
Research into disaster resilience is key to the Center for Social Solutions’ work on water, equity and security Our Flood Resilience Assessment Index (FRAI), for example, offers a composite index of the difficulty a given household faces in responding to and recovering from a flooding event, with the hope of providing decision-makers and community leaders insight into the diverse factors that determine disaster risk within their communities.
While the initial prototype of this index is situated in southeastern Michigan, its focus on encouraging equitable disaster relief can inform work across borders and contexts Flood resilience in Nepal, for instance, may require different questions and novel research approaches, but the emphasis on equitable relief remains the same
This work will be an ongoing project with ISR and the U-M Engineering AIDD Labs
With the support of an award from the National Science Foundation, the Center for Social Solutions has partnered with U-M College of Engineering’s Professor Nancy Love and Michigan schools to advance water quality and community trust through their project Community KIDS: Knowledge Inspired Decisions in Schools Melissa Koronka, a science teacher at Accelerated Learning Academy in Flint, MI, says she has seen firsthand that “the quality of the air and water in school buildings has an enormous impact on our students’ health and educational outcomes ” The Community KIDS project aims to improve the water quality, but must first bolster community trust in filtration and quality prediction systems Due to experiences during the Flint Water Crisis, community trust in water filtration systems and the people administering them is low Our project centers on community agency and youth advocacy to develop trust with community members, students, and teachers at all stages of the process, from design to implementation
Work accomplished thus far in the project includes the development of models that can predict when a water filter is no longer functioning properly, allowing schools enough time to replace filters before lead can break through into drinking water. In addition, students have begun leading efforts to enhance filtration in their schools.
“We began our partnership with Flint students by introducing the topic of filtration,” says Koronka. “The students built erosion fall boxes for air filtration and then installed those devices in the classrooms of teachers they knew and trusted. With the students, we co-developed a hands-on curriculum and nurtured their curiosity in identifying ways to monitor these air filters.” By giving students the education and tools to craft solutions of their own, the Community KIDS project hopes to encourage sustainable solution development that ensures water and air quality beyond the bounds of the project, and into the future of Michigan communities.
As the project moves into the next phase, the team hopes to strengthen trust by involving students and community members in the implementation of solutions Future plans include deploying the predictive technology for lead in water at hydration stations across Michigan, hosting interdisciplinary design workshops with teachers and education experts to devise curricula for essential water quality topics, beginning focus groups to promote community-led design of data communication strategies, and conducting interviews with students, families, and school personnel to evaluate the success of community collaborations.
Beyond these next steps, Community KIDS intends to support the development of a more diverse water workforce by identifying opportunities for students to continue skills-based training in higher education and the workplace within the water sector. This project underscores the importance of creating scalable solutions that provide communities agency over the decisions affecting their health and wellbeing
Elizabeth Faue
ProfessorofHistoryandDirectorof Labor@Wayne,WayneStateUniversity
Merve Hickok FounderofAIethicistorg LecturerinInformation,U-MSchoolof Information
To answer some of the biggest questions surrounding labor and worker rights in a society that is becoming exponentially dependent on Artificial Intelligence and automation, the Future of Work speaker series held its first events this year.
Concerns about AI and job displacement feel particularly salient in the wake of the Great Recession and the uncertainty of the early days of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic These concerns feel even more real here, in the American Midwest, where entire communities have lost so much as entire industries seemed to disappear slowly and then all at once. “The goal is to gather a diverse group of interdisciplinary experts to create a multifaceted approach to the question ‘How do we fight for the dignity of human workers in an automated world?’”, says Caroline Egan, research associate at the Center for Social Solutions “We want to look at the groups facing the biggest threats and what they would need to do to organize and adapt.”
Molly Kleinman
ManagingDirectoroftheScience, Technology,andPublicPolicyProgram, U-MFordSchool
Lionel Robert
ProfessorofInformationandAssociate DeanforFacultyDevelopmentandFaculty Affairs,U-MSchoolofInformation
The introductory event took place on September 21st and panelists discussed a variety of topics including the public release of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bard, and DALL-E, to the future of automation and which industries may be next to adapt, to workers’ movements and demands for AI regulation across the globe.
The conversation pointed to other times in history when automation threatened workers’ job security and how, with the proper government regulations, roles can be adapted to include automations without eliminating the need for human strength, creativity, and ingenuity
Caroline Egan moderates a conversation with panelists Molly Kleinman, Merve Hickok, Lionel Robert, and Elizabeth Faue
AssociateProfessorofPractice, U-MFordSchool
AssistantProfessorofInformation,U-M SchoolofInformation
Elizabeth Anderson
MaxShayeProfessorofPublicPhilosophy, U-MCollegeofLSA
The series continued with a webinar about how emerging surveillance technologies make it easier for employers to extract, collect, and process data from their employees and prospective hires to make decisions about hiring, firing, and evaluation These technologies, which are wired into both built and digital environments, are often pitched as neutral and objective ways of tracking and incentivizing worker performance, but they end up recreating the same systems of discrimination that harm workers who are already marginalized due to their race, ethnicity, gender, age, socio-economic background, or disability
The discussion featured panelists Javed Ali, Nazanin Andalibi, and Elizabeth Anderson. The usefulness of surveillance in some sectors, such as national security, was justified while other instances of surveillance technologies disproportionately punishing marginalized workers illustrated that there is much work to be done to ensure that our machines do not adopt the harmful biases of the humans that created them
While research about technology’s effects on labor date back to the 19th century, no formal effort has been made to collect data from all of the academic institutions and organizations into one central system Until now
Research associate Caroline Egan began the Future of Work Atlas to identify all of the organizations in this field and their findings, while also identifying possible gaps where the Center for Social Solutions could add to the discussion. Egan explains that, “by exploring the research and narratives produced by these organizations, we can get a better understanding of how we describe what the world of work is, shape what it could be, and ignite the fight for what it should be ”
Dr Jessica Cruz took the conversation of reparations to Chicago, IL when she spoke at the 2023 Critical Race Studies in Education Association Conference. Dr. Cruz took findings from the Crafting Democratic Futures project, which leverages university-community partnerships across the country to develop local reparations plans, to highlight the responsibility that higher education institutions have to participate in placebased engagement designed to foster sustainable, equitable change
In the fall of 2023, the University of Michigan awarded Dr. Alford Young, Jr. the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship for his contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion at the institution Established in 2019, the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorships are awarded to senior faculty for an initial appointment of five years Recipients of the professorship receive special faculty fellow status at the National Center for Institutional Diversity and spend at least one semester as a faculty fellow-inresidence
The announcement stated, “Dr Young has richly expanded sociological scholarship on Black identity His widespread service at U-M and nationally reflects a longstanding commitment to Black Americans’ essential role in shaping strategies and establishing outcomes for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging ”
The Himalayan Climate Data Field Lab is a month-long, participant-led “unconference” that gathers scholars, practitioners, activists, and storytellers to examine and remake the ways climate change data is used in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region Brad Bottoms led a portion of the 2024 event in Kathmandu, Nepal by crafting novel approaches to exploring critical infrastructure and mapping, while collaborating with experts from diverse disciplines to study the extent and impact of flooding in the region
The event, hosted by the U-M Ford School, in celebration of Dr Lewis receiving the prestigious National Humanities Medal from President Biden, included an introduction by University President Santa Ono. President Ono congratulated Dr Lewis on being the first U-M faculty member to receive the National Humanities Medal, a U S government award honoring individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and broadened citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages,
philosophy and other humanities subjects. The evening continued with a conversation between Dr. Lewis and U-M’s Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy, Celeste Watkins-Hayes Dean Watkins-Hayes asked questions regarding the Humanities Medal, Dr Lewis’ career across time and institutions, and the importance of humanities work On the importance of national awards for scholarship, Dr Lewis affirmed that “the awards symbolize, in many ways, that the work you do is not just about yourself ” Humanities work, says Dr Lewis, supports the development of the “civic project called the United States of America ” To this point, Dr. Lewis and Dean Watkins-Hayes discussed the Center for Social Solutions’ four key initiatives, as well as the work of the Inclusive History Project, which Dr. Lewis co-chairs.
Closing remarks from LSA Dean Anne Curzan congratulated Dr Lewis on his achievements, and celebrated his continued work at the University of Michigan “I was in the Dean’s Office when we got word that Earl Lewis might be interested in returning to the University of Michigan,” says Dean Curzan “Institutions are not known for moving quickly, or for consensus, and I have never seen so much consensus or speed in the LSA Dean’s Office than I saw at that moment ” Curzan noted Dr Lewis’ contributions to the university and to the humanities at large, where he teaches us “to be unafraid to take on the hard questions,” and “to be unafraid of change, both in research and in administration.”
On June 11th, 2024, President Santa J Ono, honored four individuals for their extraordinary contributions to the mission and values of the university through their achievements within the university and beyond at the Alexander G Ruthven Building.
Dr. Lewis was recognized for his stewardship of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, including efforts to innovate doctoral education and encourage doctoral studies in science and engineering among underrepresented students, and his scholarship, leadership and moral conviction affirming the promise of democracy for a just and prosperous society.
Sydney Tunstall has worked with the Center for Social Solutions since 2021, first as the Rackham Doctoral Intern, and later as a research assistant with the Crafting Democratic Futures (CDF) project The CDF project, funded through a $5M grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, supports a network of college and university-based scholars working with community-based organizations to develop research-informed reparations plans. “As the project has unfolded over the last three years and taken a number of directions,” Sydney says, “my work has also shifted to align with the needs of the project. This means that I’ve gotten the opportunity to complete a range of tasks and projects some that I never would have considered myself necessarily expert enough to tackle.” Over her time at CSS, Sydney has worked on projects ranging from developing storylines for CSS’ new podcast The Merging Point, to performing research to construct a reparations database, and interviewing CDF team members for assessment projects
Throughout her time at CSS, Sydney has also been working toward her PhD in the joint program for English and Women’s and Gender Studies here at the University of Michigan She says she initially pursued the doctoral internship “because I was drawn to the idea of doing research-informed work that could be applied to contexts outside of the confines of the university. At that point in my graduate career, I was preparing for my qualifying exams and I felt really disconnected from the world outside of the books I was reading. Working at the Center gave me a new way of seeing how research, particularly humanities research, can be leveraged to make a material impact.”
Doctoral internships last only one semester, but Sydney has remained an integral member of the CSS community long after that term expired, taking on the new title of research assistant
“Transitioning from working as a doctoral intern to a longer-term research assistant was very exciting for me,” says Sydney. “There are several tasks that we started during my semester as a doctoral intern that have grown beyond what was initially envisioned, and it’s really cool to know that I’ve been here for all of it.” Remaining at the Center beyond a single semester has allowed her to “continue exploring the various forms and impacts that research can have in the development of tangible solutions to large social issues ”
Aside from Sydney’s breadth of experience in humanities research, she notes that what makes her time at the Center truly special is “the people I’ve gotten to work with during my time at CSS. Everyone is so intelligent and generous and they bring a level of rigor and care to their work that I appreciate and aspire to in all my own work, both at the Center and beyond ” We thank Sydney for all her contributions to the work of Crafting Democratic Futures, and CSS more broadly, throughout the years
On October 14, 2023, Dr. Lewis served as honorary captain of Michigan’s game against the Indiana Hoosiers. During a pep talk on the preceding day, Lewis shared his National Humanities Medal with the team “On the back is my name, and on the front is actually something else, which talks about what it means to be part of a larger body.” To the team, Dr. Lewis said, “On the back of your jerseys, there’s your name It says something about you individually…. But on the front, it says something else. It’s all those signs that say you’re part of something larger than yourself, that you’re part of a team ”
After a coin toss led by Lewis, the Wolverines achieved victory over the Hoosiers, with a final score of 52 - 7.
The Merging Point launched in 2024 as the official podcast of the Center for Social Solutions. Hosted by Dr. Earl Lewis, the series gathers interdisciplinary leaders from across the world to explore the intersection between large, abstract issues in today's society and small, yet impactful ways communities can work together to solve them, building a more inclusive future in the process.
The original concept for the podcast began within the Center’s Crafting Democratic Futures project, with the goal to communicate various approaches to reparations in a way that was accessible to all audiences CSS research assistant and doctoral student Sydney Tunstall worked to develop episode topics and scripts, many of which form the basis of The Merging Point episodes, and presented them to CDF partner institutions for feedback
As the idea developed, topics and experts from our other projects and initiatives called to have their own episodes - transforming the podcast into an overarching tool for the Center as a whole.
“In many ways, the questions that we set out to explore in the initial development of the CDF podcast episodes regarding equity, justice, and solutions-oriented approaches to large social issues feel very in line with the direction that the podcast has taken in its current form,” says Tunstall of the podcast’s evolution.
Season 1 of The Merging Point includes a variety of topics from trauma-informed approaches to disaster relief, the power of documentary filmmaking in inciting social change, how technology shapes our society, and more
The Center for Social Solutions depends on the generosity of our financial partners to help us further our mission to identify and implement data-driven solutions that address social inequities. Three funds have been designed to support our main objectives and projects at the Center. No gift is too small, no idea is too large.
The Center for Social Solutions Strategic Fund provides support for our four distinct initiatives and their emerging projects: Diversity and Democracy, Slavery and Its Aftermath, Water, Equity and Security, and The Future of Work. Support will serve as a catalyst to advance projects foundational to our work in equity
The Diversity Initiative Fund supports efforts like the Our Compelling Interests book series, the Academic Leadership Institute, and the Scholars Network to name a few. Support will amplify our work in raising pivotal conversations on current issues across the nation.
Lastly, our Student Support Fund allows for various student positions at the Center for Social Solutions and supports their involvement in research, events, and projects that support the Center’s mission and their overall academic goals.
Scan the QR code to make a contribution to one of these funds today!
LEADERSHIP
EARL LEWIS
Founding Director
ALFORD YOUNG, JR.
Associate Director
STAFF
JULIE ARBIT
Research Area Specialist Inter.
BRAD BOTTOMS
Research Area Specialist Sr.
JESSICA CRUZ
Managing Director, Research Projects
CAROLINE EGAN
Research Associate
MELISSA ELJAMAL
Chief Administrator
SARA KHAN
Communications Lead
KREED LILE
Executive Secretary
DALIA PETRUS
Program Manager, ALI
DOREEN TINAJERO
Project Senior Manager
JOJO DIMITRI
Assistant in Research
GENERA FIELDS
Research Assistant
MEREDITH HAAKENSON
Research Assistant
GINA HEIM
SummerWorks Intern
SILVIA NAVARRO HERNANDEZ
Rackham Doctoral Intern
KYLE HILL
Assistant in Research
KAMRI HUDGINS Research Associate I
DELANEY JORGENSEN
Media & Marketing Assistant
ROB LUCAS Assistant in Research
REA MACI
Research Assistant II
SADIYAH MALCOLM
Rackham Doctoral Intern
PARKER MARTIN
Rackham Doctoral Intern
CHELSEA MCGHEE
Rackham Doctoral Intern
JANANI MURUGESAN
Media & Marketing Assistant
FADILAT OLASUPO
Research Assistant
SYDNEY TUNSTALL
Research Associate I
KARINA YANG
Marketing & Project Assistant
JESSE YEH
Research Assistant
ALICIA ZHOU
Assistant in Research
NANCY CANTOR Our Compelling Interests
NANCY LOVE
Community KIDS
DWIGHT MCBRIDE
Academic Leadership Institute
BRADFORD SMITH
Visiting Professional
MO TORRES
Research Fellow
Center
The Center for Social Solutions acknowledges that the University of Michigan was built on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabeg (including the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Bodewadomi) and Wyandot, past, present, and future. The indigenous peoples granted their land in exchange for a guarantee that education at U-M would be equitable and accessible to indigenous peoples and other Michigan residents
We assert the sovereignty of tribal lands and acknowledge the painful historical and ongoing genocide, forced assimilation, and displacement of Native communities in the establishment of U-M We affirm the profound contributions of Native American peoples to this institution and the University's commitment to educate children of Native ancestors
We recognize, acknowledge, and affirm the historic and contemporary solidarities and intersections between Black and Indigenous peoples.
We acknowledge the extraction of brilliance, energy, and life for labor forced upon people of African descent for more than 400 years As an organization, we are dedicated to advancing solutions that promote equality, dismantle oppressive systems, and uplift the voices and experiences of marginalized communities We understand that acknowledging the labor of enslaved peoples is an essential step in addressing the historical and present-day injustices that continue to shape our society We carry our ancestors within us, and we are continually called to be better We commit to dismantling racism in spaces of our work We invite you to work beside us to create change
The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, adheres to all relevant federal and state laws governing nondiscrimination and affirmative action The University of Michigan is dedicated to maintaining a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and refrains from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in the realms of employment, educational programs and activities, as well as admissions. Inquiries or complaints regarding these matters can be directed to the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office at 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432 Contact can be made via phone at 734-763-0235 or TTY 734-647-1388, and through email at ecrtoffice@umich edu For additional University of Michigan information, please call 734-764-1817
We thank you for your continued support in our efforts to advance social justice.
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