Institute on Race and Justice

People protest against a recent uptick in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in New York's Manhattan on Feb. 27, 2021. AP photo by Kyodo

As feared, hate crimes targeting Asian Americans rose sharply during the pandemic

“It’s very serious, and we knew it was coming,” says Jack McDevitt, director of the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern. He and Carlos Cuevas, co-director of the Violence and Justice Research Lab, explain the causes—and what people can do about it.

by Ian Thomsen March 2, 2021

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Don’t miss out on these March events

Chat about inclusivity in the tech world. Reflect on contemporary democracy. Analyze the pandemic’s impact on minority communities. These events and more are on the schedule to kick off March.

by Alison Booth March 1, 2021

Check out these events to close out February

Tune into the Engineers Week speaker series. Celebrate Black faculty and staff. Examine modern social media strategies. These events and more are on tap for the second half of February.

by Alison Booth February 17, 2021

People attend the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 2020, in Washington, on the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s

Why this year’s MLK tributes take on a new sense of urgency

Observances of Martin Luther King Day at Northeastern and around the country are the first since George Floyd’s death ignited calls for policing reforms, says the director of Northeastern’s Institute on Race and Justice. The nation’s political and racial upheaval underscores the need for meaningful change as much now as in the heyday of the civil rights movement.

by Peter Ramjug January 18, 2021

Do school police keep students safe, or reinforce the school-to-prison pipeline?

Experts in education, social work, and gun violence homed in on the impacts of school policing during a virtual discussion hosted by Northeastern University’s Institute on Race and Justice. Inadequate planning and clarity around these programs has led to friction between schools and law enforcement, parents and police, and communities and schools, they say.

by Khalida Sarwari December 16, 2020

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Northeastern introduces new NUPD feedback system

In an effort to facilitate dialogue and enhance policing on campus, the Northeastern University Police Department, in partnership with the NUPD Community Advisory Board, has created a new feedback system designed to make information and the flow of communication more accessible for community members.

by Molly Callahan November 30, 2020

Criminal Justice professor Jack McDevitt has agreed to develop a process for documenting traffic and pedestrian stops in Douglas County, Kansas, to determine if racial profiling exists in the county. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Can data help make racial profiling by police a thing of the past?

Jack McDevitt, who directs the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern, is leading a study of police stops and searches in Douglas County, Kansas, where black people have been jailed at a disproportionately high rate.

by Khalida Sarwari January 7, 2019