Research and Innovation

What is “queer black dance?” How might choreography help us to understand the inseparable, intimate relationship between sexuality, race, and gender? This program explores these questions with David Roussève and former artists of his “REALITY” dance company. Roussève is a choreographer/writer/director/performer, a Guggenheim Fellow, a “Bessie” awardee, Creative Capital Fellow, 3-time Horton awardee, CalArts/Alpert awardee in Dance, recipient of 4 “Best Film” awards for his three short films, and grantee of 7 consecutive NEA fellowships.

During the 2021-2022 Academic Year, The Sankofa Collective, an LLC centering the Black student experience, was launched in Camden (“Sankofa”). The program was designed by Professor Stacy Hawkins as an applied research project based on a review of the extant literature on Black student academic success in higher education. The program was administered by Professor Hawkins in collaboration with the Offices of Residence Life and Student Academic Success

While America incarcerates its most marginalized citizens at an unparalleled rate, the nation has never developed the capacity to consistently prosecute corporate wrongdoing. Dual Justice unearths the intertwined histories of these two phenomena and reveals that they constitute more than just modern hypocrisy.

Assistant Professor Abigail Williams Butler Awarded Grant to Uncover Influences on the Well-Being of Black Youth in Foster Care

Rutgers University has a strong focus on environmental justice, with dedicated departments, courses, and research initiatives. The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice at the School of Public Health explores environmental and occupational health, safety, and justice through research, education, and community engagement. The Department of Human Ecology focuses on the human dimensions of environmental problems and solutions, emphasizing collaborative leadership in developing equitable environmental practices. The university actively engages with communities to address environmental concerns, particularly those disproportionately affected by pollution and environmental hazards. 

Quilting Water is an international public art initiative that gathers interviews about water primarily from racialized communities from the U.S. and around the world. The interview is built upon five simple questions about an individual’s memories, observations, and dreams/wishes around water—simply, our past, present, and future. We’re honored to work with local Camden Black artists, and others, who will construct quilts inspired by the Quilting Water archive and serve as guides throughout the project. We hope the archive and quilts will allow us to see relationships between disparate communities and their stories through water.