About 

We develop leaders who work to end structural racism in Detroit.

We equip leaders with tools to disrupt racism and create equitable alternatives in policies, institutions, and culture in Detroit.

We develop leaders who work to end structural racism in Detroit. We are co-creating a multiracial and multigenerational network of racial equity leaders. We acknowledge that a significant and powerful network for racial equity exists in Detroit, with generations of rich experience. Our role is to equip leaders with tools to disrupt racism and create equitable alternatives together. 

Through our Racial Equity Fellowship, we bring together emerging and experienced leaders with a deep commitment to racial equity.

Shared Understanding: 

We build a shared understanding of racial equity from a personal to structural lens. Our fellows connect to anti-racism movement ancestors and better understand structural racism and how it plays out in Detroit.

Skills and Tools:

We develop the skills and tools needed to disrupt racism and create equitable alternatives. Our fellows are experts of their own experiences. Our role is providing the resources to deepen their understanding and fortify their work. 

Relationships:

We co-create a space to deepen relationships within a multiracial and multigenerational network of racial equity leaders. Challenging racism is hard, painful work. We need this space to support each other and celebrate our successes.

Our program focuses on racial equity from a personal to structural lens. We believe that the transformation of movements is dependent on the transformation of the people in them. Everyone comes to our Racial Equity Fellowship as an expert of their own experiences. In these interconnected worlds, our role is in providing the tools to deepen our fellows' understanding and fortify their work. 

We recognize that co-liberation toward racial equity is as much about our personal journeys as it is about addressing oppressive systems. With that understanding, we encourage all of our fellows to find and connect to anti-racism movement ancestors, as a means of personal and movement transformation.

How do we define racial equity?

Racial equity centers the humanity and dignity of all people, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. It begins with acknowledging those historically and systemically harmed by a racial hierarchy that perpetuates white supremacy and anti-Blackness. It demands that our communities have the power to replace racist policies, institutions, and culture with a collective commitment toward co-liberation.

Curriculum Arc:

1. Politicized and Racialized Identity: Our Personal and Ancestral Connection to Liberation

2. White Supremacist Culture, Structural Racism, and Anti-Black Racism: Understanding and Analysis of the Structure

3. Co-Liberation and the Social Change Ecosystem: Our Gifts and Roles in Creating Change

With a focus on lifting others to dismantle structural racism, we are discovering a new way to transform hearts and minds in Detroit and beyond. We are developing a national blueprint in Detroit designed to empower local communities to fight structural racism from the ground up. We are shifting our fellows’ baseline understanding of racial equity and supporting their journey toward co-liberation. Our fellows can discover more about themselves, Detroit, and the deep history of structural racism — while reflecting on leadership and the power that comes from close collaboration. 

Fellowship Learning Objectives:

• Build structural racism analysis

• Deepen understanding of structural racism in Detroit and Detroit's history 

• Understand one’s own racial(ized) identity

• Explore multi-racial coalitions and how white supremacy culture shows up for all racial groups

• Move from allyship to co-liberation

Founded in 2014, DEAL is an initiative of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School. We are at the core of the Keith Center’s three interlocking pillars of knowledge, network, and narrative.