From Science to Africana Studies, Sociology to Latin American and LatinX studies, ten John Jay College of Criminal Justice professors were awarded grants to develop courses that create a more inclusive and supportive academic environment that reflects the College’s student-body and the larger City University of New York community.

These courses further John Jay’s commitment to Seven Principles for a Culturally Responsive, Inclusive and Anti-Racist Curriculum, which was approved in April 2021.

The Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI) grants come from a gift by the Mellon Foundation to drive change across CUNY.  The ten John Jay faculty are among 126 professors selected CUNY wide. They are:

Tarun Banerjee (Sociology)
From Racial Justice Activism to Policy Success: Lessons for Today from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s

Lissette Delgado-Cruzata (Sciences)
Supporting Underrepresented Minority STEM Female Students: the FEMMS Intervention

Virginia Diaz-Mendoza (SEEK)
Honoring the SEEK Legacy - Moving from Theory to Transformative Practice

Crystal Endsley Taylor (Africana Studies)
Quantum Justice: Global Girls Writing and Performing Spoken Word Poetry for Social Change

Kim Liao (English)
"Decolonizing the John Jay English Major: Creating Foundational Introductory Courses"

Hyunhee Park (History)
Initiatives to Create an Interdisciplinary Asian American/Asian Studies Program

Judy-Lynne Peters (Public Management)
Slavery Records Indexing and Analysis Unit

Belinda Rincón (Latin American and Latinx Studies)
The Histories and Legacies of Anti-Latinx Violence in the United States

Stephen Russell (History)
Kiss the Book: The Bible and the Morant Bay Rebellion in the Age of Emancipation

Charlotte Walker-Said (Africana Studies)
Militias and Messiahs: A History of Martial and Spiritual Entrepreneurship in Central Africa

You can hear from some of these professors and others on Indoor Voices Podcast, Episode 77: BRESI grant awardees.