The Stanford Center for Racial Justice works to counter racial division and political polarization through rigorous research and thought-provoking conversations that analyze the racial dimensions of some of the most contentious and consequential issues in American society.

MISSION AND STRATEGY
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Featured Analysis

Stanford Law Faculty on Justice Breyer's Retirment — Rick Banks on Race-Based College Admissions SCOTUS Decision
Read more : Rick Banks on Race-Based College Admissions SCOTUS Decision

Pretext Stops in San Francisco: Will Reforms Reduce Violence and Injustice?
Read more : Pretext Stops in San Francisco: Will Reforms Reduce Violence and Injustice?

Can an Alternative Approach to Emergency Response Reduce Harm? 1 — How Do We Scale a Non-Police Emergency Response Program?
Read more : How Do We Scale a Non-Police Emergency Response Program?

Our Work

Sample Application Materials 7 — Projects

SCRJ projects analyze the racial dimensions of some of the most contentious and consequential issues in American society.
Learn More : Projects

After Students for Fair Admissions

Through our policy practicum, we are working with students from across campus to develop a guidance document for universities, policymakers, and stakeholders that serves as a national road map for how to promote learning and advance racial justice following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn race-based affirmative action.

Learn More : After Students for Fair Admissions

Model Use of Force Policy

SCRJ's Model Use of Force Policy is intended to contribute to the long line of efforts to improve and reform policing and promote practices that will be fair, safe, and equitable for everyone. Beyond our beta release phase, we are seeking feedback from stakeholders—particularly those who are most impacted by public safety and policing issues.

Learn More : Model Use of Force Policy

Alternatives to Police Response

From rethinking emergency response and reforming police practices to reenvisioning traffic enforcement, U.S. cities are searching for strategies that better respond to the needs of their communities. SCRJ’s researchers are exploring innovative alternatives to police response and framing consequential policy questions about racial justice.

Learn More : Alternatives to Police Response

On the Ground

SCRJ is chronicling the inside stories of individuals and groups who have been pursuing racial justice reform efforts, especially since the national protests of 2020. Our first installment is a case study about civilian oversight and police reform—and coordinated efforts to derail it—following controversial police measures in Santa Monica, California.

Learn More : On the Ground

Impact

Our vision is to build a society not riven by race-related polarization and inequality, one in which people appreciate the far-reaching effects of racism and its intertwining with economic inequality and recognize that overcoming those effects requires the ideas and efforts of people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and ideologies.

We have developed a distinct model for advancing racial justice:

We function as a research, writing, and dissemination machine for world changing ideas.
We develop analyses and curate conversations that dissect some of the most consequential controversies in American society.
We strive to offer the best and most reliable source of insight for people who want to understand the racial dimensions of the issues that most divide our nation, and especially as those issues intersect with the dynamics of economic inequality.

By rigorously exploring, challenging, and reimagining the intricate ideas behind, solutions to, and complexities of racial inequality, we will transform and redefine not just the research, action, and impact but also the conversations needed to truly advance racial justice in America.

SCRJ Blog

911 Dispatchers: A Critical and Overlooked Part of Policing 2 — 911 Dispatchers: A Critical and Overlooked Part of Policing

The 911 industry is on the verge of a crucial turning point: according to a recent industry study, increasing call volumes and severe staffing shortages are straining 911 centers in over half of the states in the U.S, and in the Bay Area’s major cities. This crisis is significant for…
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Stanford Center for Racial Justice Welcomes Fall 2023 Interns

After Affirmative Action: SLS Professors Analyze Students for Fair Admissions Decisions

Berkeley’s Specialized Care Unit: How Do We Scale a Non-Police Emergency Response Program?

Stanford Center for Racial Justice Welcomes 2023 Inaugural Cohort of Summer Fellows

Civilian Traffic Enforcement in Berkeley: Is it Possible?

Hoang Pham Named Associate Director and Manager of Education Design

Conversations

11/1: Considering Professionalism and Racism: How the Professional Identity Defines, Impacts, and Marginalizes People of Color

Speakers: Leah Goodridge, Misasha Suzuki Graham, Ron Tyler, and Richard Ford.

Details

Affirmative Action: SLS Faculty Analyze the Supreme Court’s Ruling

Speakers: Ralph Richard Banks, Easha Anand, Michael McConnell, and Richard Ford

Conference on Racial Equity in Corporate Governance

Speakers: Lisa Fairfax, Olatunde Johnson, Melonie Parker, and Eileen Schloss

Finding Common Ground on Critical Race Theory: An Alumni Homecoming Conversation with Ralph Richard Banks — Past Events
Video : Past Events

Alumni Voices

Learn how prominent Stanford alumni are challenging each of us to move America toward greater justice for all by expanding our knowledge, humanizing one another, and becoming advocates in the spaces where we each have influence and persuasion. View our full “Rethinking Race, Dismantling Racism, and Furthering Justice” panel below, featuring:

Cory Booker, ’91, MA ’92: United States Senator, New Jersey
Maureen Keffer, JD ’11: Chief of Civil Rights, Accessibility and Racial Equity, California Department of Social Services
Goodwin Liu, ’91: Associate Justice, California Supreme Court