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The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Human Rights
Introducing the New REHR Center
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Contributed by Kevin Moncrief, Ph.D., Vice President for Mission Integration/Co-Director of the REHR Center
The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Human Rights (REHR Center) mission is to provide space and resources for students and faculty of Soka University of America to engage in inquiry, research, and constructive dialogue related to race, ethnicity, human rights, and their intersections. President Ed Feasel formed the Center in July of 2020 in an effort to further implement the university’s mission and the commitment of its founder, Daisaku Ikeda, to global citizenship, respect for human diversity, equality, and human rights. In so doing, SUA also acknowledges the efforts of its student affinity groups in promoting a greater degree of diversity and inclusion in university life.
The executive sponsor for the REHR Center is Vice President of Academic Affairs and Interim Dean of Faculty Michael Weiner. The membership of the REHR Center includes Kevin Moncrief, Ph.D., Vice President for Mission Integration/CoDirector of the REHR Center, Ian Olivo Read, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Latin American Studies, Director of International Studies/Co-Director of the REHR Center, Distinguished Faculty Fellow REHR Center, Hortense J. Spillers, Ph.D., REHR Center Faculty Fellows Nidanie Henderson-Stull, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Lisa MacLeod, Ph.D., Associate Professor of International Studies, REHR Center Student Fellows Shunji Fueki, Class of 2021, Vibhu Walia, Class of 2022.
The REHR Center holds that racial and ethnic discrimination commonly lies in legal, economic, and social institutions in countries across the world of the 21st century. In many instances, discrimination is a consequence of a history of slavery, colonialism, or ethnocentrism. In others, the origins of present-day discrimination predate the colonial experience or are the product of religious belief systems. Whatever the context, institutionalized racism and personal prejudice remain significant obstacles to the full realization of the inherent dignity of all human beings, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent UN Conventions.
The REHR Center Directors and Fellows have held 30 meetings to date, established mission and priorities, announced through the new Center website.
The Center has published a hiring announcement for the Black Studies Presidential Hire, worked on global ethnic studies curriculum planning contours, and reached more than one thousand audience members in more than 30 countries through six academic events. Events have featured prominent voices, including Ambassador Andrew Young, jazz musician Delfeayo Marsalis, and professors Reuben Jonathan Miller and Hortense J. Spillers.
Looking ahead, the Center plans to attract new Student and Faculty Fellows, advocate for additional ethnic studies curriculum at SUA, and expand its world-class academic programming series.
