Vol. 38, No. 18

2-15-2006
By: Mellody Parchia

Kirwan Institute: Mapping out the path to social change

The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity is in the business of taking hard looks at different issues and mapping out viable solutions. From its Diversity Advancement Project to the Detroit Landbank Initiative, the Kirwan Institute works to understand and eliminate racial disparities between populations and to promote social justice for everyone.

"Our work focuses on developing solutions to problems caused by institutional or structural barriers to racial justice, as well as helping others to implement these solutions," said john powell, executive director of the institute and the Gregory Williams Chair of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Moritz College of Law. "We use conferences and original research - especially the technique of mapping - to communicate locally and nationally that, despite many differences, human destinies are intertwined."

The institute collaborates with other colleges and campus offices to hold research forums, host panel discussions and bring in nationally renowned scholars and newsmakers. Lani Guinier, the first black woman appointed to a tenured professorship at Harvard Law School; Mari Matsuda, the first tenured female Asian American law professor in the United States; and Judge Robert L. Carter, who created the legal strategy that led to overturning of racial segregation in schools in Brown v. Board of Education, have been recent speakers.

Carter and Guinier's appearances resulted from collaboration with numerous campus entities, including the Moritz College of Law and Office of Minority Affairs. "Since opening on campus in 2003, the Kirwan Institute has worked closely with our office to offer programs to the campus and the central Ohio community," said Mac Stewart, vice provost for minority affairs and special assistant to the president for diversity. "The social research expertise of the institute has been especially welcome in these joint activities."

Institute staffers also conduct research studies, such as the recent report detailing the consequences of economic segregation in Ohio's urban public schools. The study includes intricate maps - a key component of all Kirwan Institute research - that depict the correlation between school poverty and race in Cuyahoga, Summit, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas and Montgomery counties.

Institute maps are increasingly in demand. Using geographic information system technology, Kirwan demographers use a process called opportunity mapping to develop maps indicating the impact of housing policies, neighborhood conditions, business conditions, employment opportunities and racial disparities in communities as diverse as Baltimore, Milwaukee, Columbus and New Orleans. Kirwan maps also have been used
to advise Chicago families in low-opportunity areas of communities where higher opportunity exists.

The institute has just completed a major demography project that maps the distribution of opportunities in the New Orleans region after the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. The goal of the project was to understand what strategies could be used to connect those affected by the storm with the region's remaining opportunity structures. The maps will be available online at http://kirwaninstitute.org, along with other reports and information about past and upcoming events.

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