Ibram X. Kendi will run a Howard University program dedicated to studying racism, as the Trump administration removes diversity, equity and inclusion programs within government. News4’s Jessica Albert reports.
Amid the Trump administration's removal of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in the federal government, Howard University is adding a new program dedicated to studying racism.
The professor that will be in charge of that new program, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, is a decorated author and activist who has penned more than a dozen books, including bestseller "How to Be an Antiracist." He says the best way to combat inequality is through research.
"The more the world becomes politicized, the more things become polarized, the more we need scholars," Kendi said.
Howard's new Institute for Advanced Study will bring intellectuals together and study racism during a tumultuous time in Kendi's field.
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The Trump administration's efforts to roll back DEI across the federal government include an executive order, signed by Trump, that calls DEI practices "discriminatory." Trump has also vowed to restore "merit-based opportunity," and a few companies have followed suit.
"When we're facing a political situation like we are today, that's when science and scholarship becomes that much more important," Kendi said during a "fireside chat" event on Howard's campus. "So that we can have -- really people who have expertise to be studying racism, but to be finding sort of research-based solutions to pull us out... of this muck."
The Institute for Advanced Study will include a fellowship, featuring participants from around the world. The fellows will be paired with Howard students, like those who attended Kendi's event on Thursday.
“It weighs on me because I just know that the fight is never done," said Amaya Smith, one of those Howard students.
Kendi hopes the new institute will inspire the next generation to continue to battle racial injustice. Smith told News4 that she's already thinking about working in social justice.
"People will always try to take things from us, but it's because of the constant work that people do in realms like this that push it forward," Smith said.
Kendi officially begins his new position at Howard next semester.
