A Memphis college recently received $800,000 to establish an institute for race and social transformation.

Rhodes’ new Institute for Race and Social Transformation will allow students and faculty to conduct research and create projects focusing on racial equity, discrimination and social inequities in Memphis. 

New York-based Mellon Foundation awarded Rhodes College the grant. The foundation funds in areas including art and culture, higher education, history, and archives and libraries.

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Natalie Person, a Rhodes professor of psychology and dean for curricular development, will serve as the institute director. A native Memphian, Person said she is interested in sharing a better and new perspective of Memphis. 

“Memphis has a long history of racial violence and social injustices,” Person said. “(Through the institute) we can really focus on these issues of race and injustice in this city, with the goal of working towards eradicating racial oppression and elevate stories of marginalized citizens in Memphis and in the region.”

The institute will also include regional projects and research. 

The three-year grant proceeds will also support an annual Race and Social Transformation Symposium at Rhodes in collaboration with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

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“Rhodes has had a long-standing relationship with the Mellon Foundation with several similar projects over the last 15 years, and now we would like to be able to share the wealth and invite collaborators from HBCUs,” Person said.

Faculty and students from HBCUs will partner with faculty and students from Rhodes on projects.

Visiting assistant professors with experience relevant to the program studies will contribute to different projects and work with student fellows. 

Participating Rhodes and HBCU faculty and student fellows will share their work conducted during the summer or academic year at the symposium.

The symposium will be open to the broader community with invitations to community partners and local organizations committed to racial justice. 

Also, the grant will help more women to participate in Rhodes’ Liberal Arts in Prison program and transition to Rhodes with the credits they received while being incarcerated.

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The academic program, which began in 2019, allows inmates in West Tennessee Penitentiary in Henning, to receive 12 college credits and earn a certificate in liberal arts. 

The announcement of the grant and new institute came just a day after the Supreme Court ruling on affirmation action. The court ruled it unconstitutional for higher education to consider race as a factor in admissions.

“This work is so important to our city and maybe even more so after the ruling,” Person said. “The court waving a magic wand and doing away with affirmative action screams racial injustice and oppression is still happening. In a way, it elevates this work and makes it more important.”

The institute will be located on West Campus on University Street, among other Rhodes community programs, including the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center, the Institute for Health Equity and Community Justice, the Department of Urban Studies, and the Department of Educational Studies.