Community involvement is the goal of Dillard University’s Center for Racial Justice

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Dillard University is teaching it’s students social justice, so they can take their own steps

Moving New Orleans Forward anchor LBJ found out just how the work also impacts our community.

“We started the Center for Racial Justice in June 2020, after the murder of George Floyd. The university felt like we needed to get more involved in the community. Sometimes as a stand still school or any school, we publish, we present in the confines of a box. How do we take what we do and take it out to the community?” said Dr. Ashraf Esmail, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice.

While there are many ill in our city, getting the Center for Racial Justice at Dillard University in the community, required narrowing the target impact.

“Our three areas of concentration tend to focus in on the youth, juvenile justice, education and public safety,” said Esmail.

The execution of the work falls not on center staff but more importantly with students.

“Our mission at the center is to create real impact with our students and provide them a platform and opportunity to do the work and accomplish the goals that they have,” said Tia Suggs Project Manager- Center for Racial Justice.

From taking students overseas to experience other cultures to studying local issues where change can happen, to hosting a weekly podcast, the center has fostered it all making good use of the students creativity.

“Our students have an array of ideas and we really try to provide them with the tools and the resources to accomplish them,” said Suggs.

Community impact comes in various forms large and small. For Dillard University senior Lucine Flores, a scholarship from the center helped her conduct a back to school drive for kids.

“Because of the Center, I’ve started something that I’ve been able to create as my own legacy because nobody in my family has ever done anything like that before,” said Flores.

The hope for the Center of Racial Justice to Justice to continue to help students create legacies in our community.

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