Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD)

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The CSRD at ASU facilitates powerful and informed dialogues and transformative scholarship, teaching and civic engagement on race and democracy through innovative programming, partnerships, fellowships and internships.

Two books. Two histories.Two authors whose books reach across rivers, continents and centuries: Amy Bowers Cordalis, UN ...
10/10/2026

Two books. Two histories.Two authors whose books reach across rivers, continents and centuries:
Amy Bowers Cordalis, UN Champion of the Earth Laureate, author of The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life
Dean Calbreath, Pulitzer and Polk Award-winning journalist, author of The Sergeant: The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said
The ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy invites you to listen, reflect and join the conversation about history, community and the ties that connect us.
đź“… Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026
đź•• 6 p.m.
đź“Ť Marston Exploration Theater, Tempe Campus
Learn more at https://csrd.asu.edu/SocialCohesionDialogue/social-cohesion-dialogues-2026

On September 11, 2001, thousands of people went to work, boarded planes, and answered emergency calls, never knowing it ...
09/11/2026

On September 11, 2001, thousands of people went to work, boarded planes, and answered emergency calls, never knowing it would be their last day. We remember them, and we remember the brave first responders and service members who ran toward danger and those who fought in the decades of war that followed.

A quarter century later, we still owe them an honest reckoning, not just about what was lost that day, but about everything done in its name since.

We honor those who passed. We honor those who served. And we hold space for asking hard questions about the cost of how the nation responded.
#911

Labor Day honors American workers and their essential contributions to the nation’s economy and success. Workers from d...
09/07/2026

Labor Day honors American workers and their essential contributions to the nation’s economy and success. Workers from diverse trades and fields, along with social justice champions and organized communities, marched and sacrificed for fair treatment on the job and livable wages–all of which connect to efforts to achieve racial and democratic justice. Today, we pause to remember the legacies of labor that continue to support and advance our nation.

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at Arizona State University invites you to the Race, Place and Civic Gene...
09/01/2026

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at Arizona State University invites you to the Race, Place and Civic Genealogies Symposium on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

This symposium builds on The Washington Post's revelatory series on the histories of US elected officials with ties to enslavement, and it explores the extensive, still understudied connections between sites of enslavement and freedom and the genealogical ties that link individuals of all races across diverse regions.

Speakers and discussants include Lois Brown, PhD, CSRD director and ASU Foundation Professor of English; L. Andrea Brownlee, PhD, CSRD Impact Arizona fellow and South Mountain Community College professor; Debra Bruno, memoirist and journalist, author of "A Hudson Valley Reckoning"; Carole Coles Henry, MSW, Director (ret.) City of Phoenix Office of Equal Opportunity; Eleanor Mire, family historian; Duane Roen, PhD, professor emeritus, Arizona State University and Julie Zauzmer Weil, reporter, The Washington Post.

Check-in begins at 4:30 p.m., and the symposium begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a book signing and reception. Register today using the link below. Registration is required and space is limited.

Learn more and Register:
https://ow.ly/oYEM50ZGFr4

The Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) will host its Race, Place and Civic Gen...
08/28/2026

The Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) will host its Race, Place and Civic Genealogies Symposium on Friday, September 18, at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

The 2026 symposium, like the inaugural gathering held at ASU DC in 2024, builds on a groundbreaking Washington Post investigation into 18th and 19th-century US congressmen with ties to enslavement and the family histories that the series brought to light.

Join us at the Tempe Center for the Arts for an evening of presentations and dialogue with CSRD director Lois Brown, CSRD Impact Arizona fellow L. Andrea Brownlee, Post reporter Julie Zauzmer Weil, City of Phoenix Office of Equal Opportunity Director (ret.) Carole Coles Henry, journalist and memoirist Debra Bruno, family historian Eleanor Mire and ASU professor emeritus Duane Roen.

Check-in begins at 4:30 p.m., the symposium starts at 5:30 p.m. and a book signing and reception will close out the evening. Delectable small bites and beverages will be available before the program. Register now to reserve your seat.

Register now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/race-place-civic-genealogies-symposium-tickets-1993500708282

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy joins Arizona State University in honoring the life of Ira A. Fulton, who...
08/27/2026

The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy joins Arizona State University in honoring the life of Ira A. Fulton, who died Aug. 21 at age 94.

Fulton's generosity opened doors for tens of thousands of students who might not otherwise have had access to higher education. That work speaks directly to what we study and believe here at CSRD: that access to education is essential for a healthy democracy, and that expanding access changes not just individual lives but entire communities.
"Becoming a billionaire means zilch to me," Fulton once said. "Now, to give away a billion dollars — that's important."

We're grateful for his powerful legacy and example.

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, and American women won the right to vote. Achieving this milestone ...
08/18/2026

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, and American women won the right to vote.

Achieving this milestone involved a lengthy and difficult struggle, with decades of agitation dating back to America’s founding. The movement included generations of women from every background who worked to secure and demand their place in democracy.

Among its most dedicated architects were women like Susan B. Anthony, Anna Julia Cooper, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Mary Church Terrell, Sojourner Truth, and Ida B. Wells, many of whom organized and led when mainstream suffrage organizations often would not make room for them. They fought for a constitutional right they understood better than most: that a law means nothing without equal access to its protections.

1920 was the finish line for many women across the country. However, for others, access still depended on race, ethnicity, and location; poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses limited their right to vote despite the new amendment. Full ballot access for all women would not come until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 45 years later.

The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. Since the nation’s founding in 1776, there have been efforts to create...
08/06/2026

The right to vote is the foundation of democracy.
Since the nation’s founding in 1776, there have been efforts to create equal access that was not based on land ownership, class status, race or gender.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 focused on redressing the longstanding challenges that African Americans faced at the ballot box. The passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished enslavement, did not protect voting rights despite ambitious civic participation and leadership by African Americans across the nation and especially in the South.
When he signed the Voting Rights Act into law, on August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson hailed it as "a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory that has ever been won on any battlefield."
The vote is the foundation of democratic participation. When access to it is unequal, so is the government it produces.
The signing took place in the President's Room just off the Senate Chamber and Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and other congressional leaders gathered to witness history. In keeping with presidential tradition, after he signed the bill, Johnson handed to Dr. King one of the pens that he used.
The Voting Rights Act abolished literacy tests and other discriminatory voting barriers, prohibited discriminatory voting practices and gave the federal government authority to oversee voter registration in places with documented histories of discrimination.
By the end of 1965, more than 250,000 African Americans had registered to vote. Today, the Voting Rights Act is under renewed legislative and legal scrutiny that reminds us that the right to vote and access to the ballot box is an essential cornerstone of American democracy and civic society.
Learn more Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law at the Truman Library—with former Pr...
07/30/2026

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law at the Truman Library—with former President Harry S. Truman seated beside him.

The location was intentional. Johnson wanted Truman, who had first championed the idea of national health insurance years earlier, to witness the moment it became reality.

That single signature extended health coverage to millions of older adults, low-income families, children, and people with disabilities. More than 19 million Americans enrolled in the first year.

Today, nearly 60 years later, Medicare and Medicaid provide health coverage to more than 160 million Americans, remaining among the nation's most significant public programs.

Sources: A 1965 Spanish-language poster noting that "9 out of 10 persons are covered by Social Security." SSA History Archives.
United States Senate. (n.d.). Medicare signed into law.

On this day, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, establishing a policy of equal treatment and opportu...
07/26/2026

On this day, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, establishing a policy of equal treatment and opportunity for all members of the U.S. armed forces regardless of race.
The order represented an important milestone in American history and the broader effort to eliminate racial segregation within federal institutions. While implementation occurred over several years, Executive Order 9981 helped transform military service and expanded opportunities for future generations.
Today, the order continues to serve as an example of how public policy can shape institutions and influence civic life. Studying these moments helps us better understand the ongoing development of American democracy and the pursuit of equal opportunity.
The Arizona State University Center for the Study of Race and Democracy examines the history of race, democracy and civic participation through research, education and community engagement.

Sources National Archives:
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/executive-order-9981

Address

455 N 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ
85004

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+16024961376

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