University grant creates minor in 'anti-Black racism'

The University of Maryland (UMD) will offer a minor in anti-black racism starting in the fall 2023 semester. 

The minor belongs to a larger grant-funded project, the “Anti-Black Racism Initiative,” which “build[s] upon the state of Maryland’s legacy of racial equity and social justice.” 

Grand Challenge Grants, the funding program, oversees “$30 million dollars in institutional investments” for “projects designed to impact enduring and emerging societal issues,” according to the university’s website. 

Under the initiative, interdisciplinary student-faculty research, anti-black racism workshops for faculty and students, and annual conferences will support the new minor in anti-black racism. 

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All of these efforts, according to the project description, will ensure that UMD moves society “towards an anti-Black racist future.”

Rashawn Ray—one of the UMD professors leading the project—introduced the initiative in a video shared by Fox News. “2020 was simply a tumultuous year for everyone, whether it be dealing with COVID, dealing with economic issues, and then also a heightened awareness about police brutality and systemic racism–both [issues] for black people in America,” Ray says. 

Grand Challenges Grants provide funding up to $500,000 per year for three years and include “a 1:1 match of resources from participating colleges and/or departments,” according to the grant website. 

Fifteen other university initiatives addressing climate change, global health, and social justice have received funding. 

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Another grant-funded project, “Using Machine Learning to Measure and Improve Equity in K-12 Mathematics Classrooms,” describes “achievement gaps between different racial and ethnic groups” as “stubborn feature[s] of U.S. education systems.”

To close these gaps, the project relies on “cutting-edge machine learning techniques, rich educational theory, and behavioral sciences” to advance “equity-focused teaching practices in K-12 mathematics classrooms.”

“[T]wo grand challenges” that society faces, the description continues, are “social and racial injustice and ethical, fair, and trustworthy technology.”

Campus Reform contacted all relevant parties listed for comment and will update this article accordingly. 

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