The Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) is seeking emerging and experienced leaders with a deep commitment to racial equity to join its 2026 cohort.

The tenth cohort of DEAL’s Racial Equity Fellowship will take part in a year-long program beginning in January, focused on training and supporting those working to end structural racism in Detroit.

Read the media release.

The Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) is seeking emerging and experienced leaders with a deep commitment to racial equity to join its 2025 cohort.  

The ninth cohort of DEAL’s Racial Equity Fellowship will take part in a year-long program beginning in January, focused on training and supporting those working to end structural racism in Detroit. 

“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,” said Asandi Conner, DEAL’s Director.  

Read the media release.

Detroit’s latest cohort of racial equity leaders is beginning their journey together in a year-long program focused on training and supporting those working to end structural racism in Detroit.

The Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) recently announced its eighth cohort (DEAL 8) of Racial Equity Fellows to join its multiracial and multigenerational network of leaders. 

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"DETROIT—In the spirit of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a group of Wayne State University racial justice leaders collaborate every January to host the National Day of Healing from Racism. This day-long event — free to attend and open to all — is focused on llearning how to talk about racism’s impact and how to use practices to guide people on their journey of healing from racism."

Read the media release and see the media coverage.

"Currently, DEAL’s best-known tool is its Racial Equity Fellowship, a program that recruits and trains racial justice leaders over the course of 12 monthly sessions. DEAL recently welcomed its seventh cohort of Racial Equity fellows (known as DEAL 7) this fall via a hybrid learning format the group implemented after the COVID-19 pandemic forced its sixth cohort to attend all sessions virtually. This also marks the first time the curriculum has been expanded to cover a full year."

Read the feature in Wayne State University's Warrior Magazine.

Challenging racism is hard, painful work. Detroit’s got a new cohort of racial equity leaders taking that challenge head-on.

The Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL), recently announced its seventh cohort of Racial Equity Fellows to join its multiracial and multigenerational network of leaders dedicated to ending structural racism in Detroit. 

Read the media release.

“Our goal is to increase the fellow’s capacity, and we hope that, as they add to their racial equity toolkit, they will share what they’re learning within their communities and organizations where they work or volunteer.” — Asandi Conner, DEAL Director

Read the feature.

“All Eyes on Detroit” tells the story of how our work at the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) is developing a national blueprint in Detroit designed to empower local communities to fight structural racism from the ground up.

Read the feature.

The Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL), an initiative of Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, launched its sixth cohort of racial equity fellows in February. 

“I am thrilled to welcome DEAL 6 into our network of diverse and dynamic leaders,” said DEAL Director Asandi Conner. “We are applying what we learned in 2020 to increase their capacity and further advance racial equity in our beloved city.”

Read the media release.