Racial Justice Initiative
Who we are
The Racial Justice Initiative (RJI) is a privately funded initiative, founded under the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman.
Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman discussing her award-winning book Second-Class Daughters: Black Brazilian Women and Informal Adoption as Modern Slavery with
The charge of RJI is to motivate and support action that will promote racial and social justice in the Tampa Bay community. The Racial Justice Initiative includes a Chair in Racial Justice to advance meaningful research, lead timely developments, further education, and offer community-engaged programming related to racial equity and social justice driven by innovative research and collaboration. The chair holder鈥檚 role is to focus on intellectual inquiry and collaboration and provide resources to encourage research focused on racial equity and social justice. The Chair holder maintains active participation in the community and oversees a major project (or series of projects) focused on racial equity and social justice for all people.
The Racial Justice Initiative endeavors to promote collaboration and conversations around solutions-based research aimed at racial equity and social justice. This model helps strengthen USF鈥檚 connections to community and provide opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue around lived experiences that have the power to transform communities. Together, we facilitate and support knowledge and understanding through research, scholarly exchange, and community engagement on a broad range of topics relevant to racial equity and social justice among faculty, staff, students, and the larger community.
The Racial Justice Initiative has supported several research projects and community events, including:
- USF Libraries Special Collections in Tampa Heights and Sulphur Springs
- Publication support for by Mariela Noles Cotito and Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman
- Experience in Alabama
- Institute on Black Life Undergraduate Research Initiative (Fall 2024 semester)