Stanford Center for Racial Justice
Who We Are
The Stanford Center for Racial Justice (SCRJ) was created in June 2020 in the wake of our country’s deep reflection about racial divisions and the urgent need for solutions. We are based in the Law School and serve the entire University. The aspiration of SCRJ is a multicultural democracy where our ability to create opportunities, promote wellbeing for all, and advance freedom is not undermined by racism.
Action and Impact
The SCRJ cares deeply about the pursuit of innovative solutions to the challenges of racism and the pursuit of racial justice. Our core operation goal is to democratize knowledge by producing well-researched information, translating complex ideas, and creating accessible content for dissemination to a variety of audiences. We organize our work to do the following:
- Create research opportunities for Stanford faculty
- Produce research, knowledge, and reports from the SCRJ
- Create digital research collections to attract scholars and supporters
- Catalyze partnerships to pursue practical evidence-based solutions
- Translate and distribute knowledge using creative methods and channels
- Engage with students to enhance their professional development and train future leaders
- Engage in programming activities to support all of the above
Current Projects
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.
Visit the siteInnovation in Community Safety
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 approaches to community safety and framing consequential policy questions about racial justice.
Visit the siteOn the Ground Series
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.
Visit the siteDiscussion and Dialogue
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
Contact
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
scrj@law.stanford.edu