By Mekhi Abbott | Word In Black

Overview: In partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Shriver Center — named after President John F. Kennedy’s brother-in-law — has a mission: eliminating racial bias.

(WIB) – At a time when the nation grapples with deep-seated racial divides, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County has chosen to confront systemic racism and foster healing. At the heart of this effort is the Shriver Center, a hub for community engagement and social change that has become a national leader in the fight for racial equity.

At the heart of that fight is the center’s mission to become an anti-racist organization. It took a dramatic step towards that goal in 2017, when it became a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center — a space that encourages honest dialogue and understanding to bridge the Black-white racial divide.  

LEARN MORE: Can Campus Racial Healing Bridge Rhetoric and Reality?

The Shriver Center became a TRHTransformation Center through the American Association of Colleges and Universities, and with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The center, its initiatives and its goal of eradicating racial bias aligned with the TRHT mission.

Esteemed Legacy

Founded in honor of Robert Sargent Shriver, who founded the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, creator of the Special Olympics, the  Shriver Center was founded  in 1993.

With more than 30 years of making connections between different communities across the campus, the Shriver Center has a long history of connecting students, faculty, staff and even community members. 

“The Shriver Center is the community engagement learning hub for the university. We have a vast array of community partners,” said Eric Ford, executive director of the Shriver Center. “We don’t use a traditional approach of campus and community partnership that tends to be hierarchical.”  

“We practice reciprocity with our partners,” Ford says. “We value the voice, opinions and experiences of our community partners just as much as we do our staff. We’re not telling the community what they need but we listen and then allow them to have some agency” in a partnership.” 

The Shriver Center also has a Living Learning Community that aligns with the center’s vision to lead social change throughl higher education. Living Learning Community members are students that hold different majors and disciplines, creating an atmosphere that incorporates diversity of thought and interests. 

Nusrat Tusi, a UMBC student and senior intern at the Shriver Center, sees the commitment in the center’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation framework.

“This initiative empowers both university and community members to challenge racial hierarchies and foster a more positive community dialogue about race,” Tusi says. “The Shriver Center actively works to dismantle systemic racism by embedding anti-racist principles into its programs, initiatives, and internal operations.”. 

One of the center’s main initiatives is to become an anti-racist organization. 

Commitment to DEI

“By becoming a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center, we established an anti-racism statement. We talk about anti-racism, and many communities and people of color are impacted by racism,” Ford said. “But the group that is impacted by racism the most is arguably Black people. In development of this anti-racism statement, we made clear that addressing systemic racism and white supremacy is a primary focus and goal of ours as we go on about our work.” 

RELATED: What Does Racial Healing Look Like at the University of Maryland

Applied learning initiatives have proven to be beneficial to both students and staff members who participate in racial equity development and community building. Benefits have included but are not limited to an increase  rates, grade point average, curriculum and work application, interpersonal relationships skills, overall motivation and social and work life balance. 

The Shriver Center also has The Choice Program, a nonprofit organization that mentors children in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. communities, provide both educational and vocational opportunities for young children. 

“The Shriver Center’s commitment to DEI was not merely performative; it was a living, breathing ethos that informed every aspect of its work,” said Tusi. “Through its programs, initiatives, and overall culture, the Center was actively working to dismantle systems of oppression and create a more just and equitable world for all.”