Five Year Lookback

FIVE-YEAR LOOKBACK

DIRECTOR'S LETTER

The Center for Social Solutions (CSS) was created in 2018 with the expectation of tackling real problems through the application of research-informed solutions.

Since its inception, CSS has built a team of researchers, forged a community of collaborators, and tackled several meaningful concerns Those efforts align with a clearly stated set of values, informed by a mission, and shaped by a vision for a world without social inequity and systemic injustice To create such a world, we work in four main content areas diversity and democracy, slavery and its aftermath, water, equity and security, and the dignity of labor in an automated world.

Our work and products have taken a number of forms. Under diversity and democracy, we launched the Our Compelling Interests book series with Princeton University Press. That series argues that a viable and healthy democracy needs to define, value, and leverage diversity and democracy for the benefit of all.

In addition, we created and launched a new leadership program called the Academic Leadership Institute (ALI). ALI is a residential program intended for academic leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and are seeking to become provosts or presidents

One of the most urgent topics of public policy confronting the nation today involves the delayed resolution of repair for descendants of slavery in the United States We started the Crafting Democratic Futures project that brings together nine colleges and universities and their communities to confront history and derive community-based solutions to reparations In partnership with WQED, the project will air a documentary on reparations on PBS early next year

Work on water, equity, and security has resulted in a variety of initiatives, from published papers to new collaborations with colleagues in engineering Our team brings perspectives and expertise on the social characteristics of flooding and its human toll

Finally, we have renewed our efforts to shape the national conversation about the dignity of labor in an automated world Here the focus has been research papers, thought pieces, a mapping of current efforts on the future of work, and planning for a spate of convenings.

From an idea with no staff to a team of a dozen augmented by more than two dozen students, postdocs, and others since inception, the Center for Social Solutions pauses at the five-year mark to report what has been accomplished and the work ahead. And the work to come out in the near future will underscore why the solutions we produce tt Th k f tt ntion.

The Center for Social Solutions promotes academic research and social policy that serves the common good in four program areas: Diversity and Democracy; Slavery and Its Aftermath; Water, Equity, and Security; and The Future of Work. While much debate focuses on the identification of the "right" problems, the Center recognizes common threads of vulnerability and inequity throughout each focus area and acknowledges that to address one issue is to address, in some way, all of them. When we look at the history of innovation, it becomes clear that creating valuable new ideas often builds upon restructuring prior iterations; however, to innovate, we need to imagine simultaneously another, more inclusive world. Creating such a future requires that we contend with the past and actively challenge the present. The Center aims to identify such gaps in research and practice, contemplate how to bridge these gaps, and develop programs and avenues to combat inequity and injustice. By applying rigorous scholarship to the real world, we offer tangible solutions to real problems, promote public good, and strengthen our global community.

We envision a world without social inequity and systemic disenfranchisement, where opportunities and resources are more evenly distributed.

We aim to cultivate collaboration and lead scholarship in order to create a more equitable and inclusive world. We seek to identify, develop, and implement scalable, data-driven solutions that address societal inequities. In this spirit, our four founding initiatives diversity and democracy, the impact of slavery, water security, and the future of work aim to redress systemic injustices through interdisciplinary research and educational outreach.

With final numbers still rolling in for 2023, here's a look at the eyes on the Center.

DIVERSITY AND DEMOCRACY

Our Diversity and Democracy initiative amplifies the work of historically oppressed and traditionally marginalized voices of practitioners, experts, and thinkers. As groups that once held an absolute majority now find themselves to be one of many voices, how we think and learn about diversity is critical to how we frame and consider social policy. Research has demonstrated that diversity in education, business, and technology can be leveraged in strengthening our prosperous democracy. Convincing a wide range of potentially interested parties that embracing diversity is indeed an effort that benefits the common good requires covering many arenas of social, educational, political, economic, civic and cultural life.

OUR COMPELLING INTERESTS

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (ALI)

Diversity, Equity,and Inclusion

AREAS OF Higher Education

FOCUS

SCHOLARS NETWORK

Religious Plurality

Diversityinthe Workplace

Leadership

SLAVERY AND ITS AFTERMATH

Although the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865, the legacy of chattel slavery is still very much present in our society. Our slavery initiative looks at culturally sensitive, place-based solutions to racial inequities. We aim to connect scholars, organizations, and institutions doing work on slavery and its omnipresent effects on American life. The initial phase of this project will attempt two things: 1) with the aid of professional historians, to produce a database to consolidate and disseminate knowledge about slavery; and 2) to create new pairings of museums, public sites, theaters, media, civic organizations, colleges, and universities to coordinate the presentation of programming on and about slavery.

Community-based Reparations Solutions

ThirdSlavery UniversityCommunity Partnerships

AREAS OF

FOCUS

CRAFTING DEMOCRATIC FUTURES

LINEAR INFRASTRUCTURE

NAMED FOR ENABLERS OF SLAVERY

Humanities

REPARATIONS

ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY INDEX

Corporate Responsibility

WATER, EQUITY, AND SECURITY

Climate change effects on water security are increasing rapidly in severity and frequency. The natural disasters they cause do not discriminate geographically, but their effects do. Geographies around the world exhibit racially and ethnically charged patterns of heightened risk and weakened resilience, yet many efforts toward equity treat the notions of people, history, and ethnography as separate from those of access, space, and place. The intersections here illustrate opportunities for advancing place-based, geospatial, and participatory research methods. We work towards joining these social and physical landscapes towards equitable, reparative solutions to disaster resilience in housing, infrastructure, mobility, policy, health, and more.

PLACE-BASED FLOOD RESILIENCE

FLOOD RESILIENCE ASSESSMENT INDEX

Flooding

Climate Reparations

AREAS OF

FOCUS

Accessto CleanWater

EQUITY AND AGENCY IN K12 WATER QUALITY MONITORING

DisasterRelief/ Management

Equitable Resilience

THE FUTURE OF WORK

With the advent of new artificial intelligence systems that are capable of processing human language, developing complex strategies, and generating everything from artistic images to complex code, entire sectors of the workforce have become susceptible to automation. Discerning how employers are deploying technology in the workplace, how workers are adapting in turn, and how technological advances affect existing inequities for women and people of color is essential to understanding future labor markets and creating a vision of meaningful labor in the coming century. We explore the lived experience of today’s workers, strategize for the near future, and envision economic possibilities for the next generation. Our aim: to go beyond theoretical considerations and harness technology to create an inclusive economy that works for all.

THE DIGNITY OF FRAGILE ESSENTIAL WORK IN A PANDEMIC

FUTURE OF WORK DIRECTORY

S T A F F

Earl Lewis FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Earl Lewis is the Thomas C. Holt Distinguished University Professor of History, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Public Policy He is president emeritus of The Andrew W Mellon Foundation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the American Academy of Political & Social Sciences. He has served as Emory University’s Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Brad Bottoms DATA SCIENTIST

Brad is the Center’s technical lead for data analysis, processing, and management projects. He turns data into usable information and finds unseen connections and correlations. Brad has worked as a geographer and data scientist in roles with federal and local governments, the private sector, and consultancies to NGOs. With over 10 years of experience, he has worked on projects ranging from data collection techniques and web development to flood exposure and habitat modeling

Alford A. Young Jr.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Alford A Young Jr is the Edgar G Epps Collegiate Professor and the Arthur F Thurnau Professor in the Departments of Sociology, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He founded and directs the Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Well Being of African American Men and serves as the Faculty Director of the Anti-Racism Collaborative within the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity.

Jessica Cruz MANAGING DIRECTOR

Jessica oversees the Crafting Democratic Futures project and its nine CDF partners across the nation The project seeks to develop tangible suggestions for community-based reparations solutions Having served as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Northern Michigan University and Co-founder/Executive Director of the Center for Latin@ Studies at Ferris State University, her research interests are focused on equity in college access

Julie Arbit

RESEARCH AREA SPECIALIST INTERMEDIATE

Julie works with geospatial data on place-based equity at intersections of the natural environment, water and food systems, housing and labor markets, and more. Beyond her research, Julie facilitates research project management, development efforts, and collaboration within the Center and with external partners. Prior to this role, Julie completed an internship with the Great Lakes Observing System, and a fellowship with the Midwest Big Data Hub

Caroline Egan RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Caroline focuses on projects related to the Future of Work. Prior to joining the Center, Caroline was the Data Manager for the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS), a University of Michigan Ford School initiative designed to regularly survey a broad, representative group of Detroit residents about their communities, including their experiences, perceptions, priorities, and aspirations

T E A M

Melissa Eljamal CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

Melissa serves as Chief Administrator to faculty directors in three units: the Center for Social Solutions, Organizational Studies, and the Barger Leadership Institute. In these roles she is responsible for budget and facilities, finance, staff and faculty HR, and advancement She has worked as a project coordinator for Harvard Translations Agency in Boston, at the U-M International Center, the College of Engineering, and in LSA since 2005.

Dalia Petrus PROJECT COORDINATOR

Dalia contributes to the Diversity and Democracy initiative through building the Academic Leadership Institute, which supports future leaders with demonstrated commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. Her tenure at U-M includes professional roles in student, academic, and instructional affairs with commitments to DEI Prior to this role, she recruited underrepresented graduate students to U-M Ann Arbor

Kreed Lile EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Kreed serves as the executive assistant to the director, associate director, and project senior manager of the Center. Managing the office and maintaining the workflow of the Center will also fall under his purview Prior to his role at the Center for Social Solutions, he has worked at the College for Creative Studies, Marygrove College, and the Mayor’s Office in the city of Detroit

Sara leads the communications team at the Center. In this role, she develops and executes internal and external marketing, communications, and branding strategies for the Center's initiatives and projects With a background specializing in media and marketing, she has had previous roles as a marketing and communications specialist for the U-M College of Pharmacy, a photographer, and an entrepreneur.

Doreen N. Tinajero PROJECT SENIOR MANAGER

Doreen manages the Center’s first established project, Our Compelling Interests She was recruited to help establish the Center and continues to support various aspects of the Center. She has long-standing involvement with the Women of Color Task Force and the Facilitator Engagement Program Prior to this role, she served at The Andrew W Mellon Foundation since 1997; her tenure included work in the Conservation & the Environment and the International Higher Ed programs.

Sara Khan COMMUNICATIONS LEAD

NancyLove FACULTY AFFILIATE

BradfordSmith

Over the past five years, more than 30 graduate and undergraduate students have joined our team at the Center and a handful continue to serve in different capacities from marketing assistants to research interns. Their areas of focus range from, but are not limited to, Afroamerican & African Studies, computer sciences, environmental studies, sociology, history, and public policy. Their expertise and unique perspectives are integral to the work produced by the Center.

It's inspiring to spend time with smart people who care about justice and equity, who value knowledge in action, and who are doing work that so directly responds to the challenges we face.

Kathryn Van Zanen, CDF Doctoral Intern

[I want] to make a difference and leave a positive impact and create something meaningful I’ve been used to seeing computer science used to make new products and technology, but I’m inspired by the fact that I can use it to support a great mission here at the Center. -

Camden Do, Research Assistant

JoJo Dimitri

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

JoJo assists with research related to the Reparations Accountability and Responsibility Index (RARI).

Kyle Hill

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Kyle assists with researching various topics related to CSS reparations efforts as well as book projects and CDF materials.

Kamri Hudgins

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Kamri supports CDF assessment efforts and researches racialized attitudinal data about reparations in the US.

Rob Lucas

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Rob researches topics related to the future of work, key organizations, and the workers rights atlas project

Sadiyah Malcolm

DOCTORAL INTERN

Sadiyah manages the logistical organization and implementation of CDF projects and meetings

Karina Yang

STUDENT ASSISTANT

Karina assists in the research and organization of Diversity and Democracy projects. She also creates content for online channels

Parker Martin

DOCTORAL INTERN

Parker is coding, analyzing, and visualizing data from CDF assessment focus groups and creating a report based on the findings.

Alicia Zhou

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Alicia researches topics related to the future of work, key organizations, and the workers rights atlas project

Delaney Jorgensen

MARKETING & MEDIA ASSISTANT

Delaney assists with communications efforts such as our quarterly e-newsletter and blog posts

Sydney Tunstall

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Sydney facilitates focus groups for the CDF assessment, conducts research and develops storylines for CDF podcast episodes.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community-based solutions are a cornerstone of CSS. Below you'll find a few examples of our local impact.

CROSS-GENERATION BLACK MEN'S DISCUSSION SERIES | DETROIT

1 A series of panel discussions surrounding the topic of healthy Black masculinity and fatherhood, featuring Detroit-based community leaders.

CIVIC K12 PROJECT | FLINT

2 Community Knowledge Inspired Decisions in Schools (KIDS) is an NSF-funded partnership working towards community knowledge and agency over water quality monitoring technology, data, and education in K12 schools

CRAFTING DEMOCRATIC FUTURES | ANN ARBOR/YPSILANTI

3 Supporting the county-wide exploratory committee that will consider the possibility of social and economic reparations for residents in Washtenaw County.

CRAFTING DEMOCRATIC FUTURES | DETROIT

4 A project that will consider the historical impact of the construction of I-375 on residents in the historic Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods.

CRAFTING DEMOCRATIC FUTURES | FLINT

5 A project that considers the social determinants of health for those communities harmed by policies and practices implemented during the following time periods: chattel slavery, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration.

Publications

OurCompellingInterests:TheValueofDiversityforDemocracyanda ProsperousSociety,editedbyEarlLewisandNancyCantor,September 2016,OurCompellingInterestsSeries.

ScottE.Page,TheDiversityBonus:HowGreatTeamsPayOffinthe KnowledgeEconomy,September2017,OurCompellingInterests Series.

EbooPatel,OutofManyFaiths:ReligiousDiversityandtheAmerican Promise,September2018,OurCompellingInterestsSeries.

EarlLewis,AlfordYoung,Jr.,JustinShaffner,andJulieArbit,“‘Backto theFuture’:FragileWorkers,HigherEducation,andtheFuture KnowledgeEconomy,"June2019,TheGreatSkillsGap:Optimizing TalentfortheFutureofWork&UPCEAconference(Columbia University).

GaryOrfield,TheWallsAroundOpportunity:TheFailureofColorblind PolicyforHigherEducation,October2022,OurCompellingInterests Series.

Grants & Funding

$6M Our Compelling Interests

Crafting Democratic Futures

$5M

AlfordA.Young,Jr.,"ResurfacingDignityasaToolforthe UnionizationofAfricanAmericanLower-TierWorkers,"March2023, RussellSageFoundationJournaloftheSciences|Workand Occupations.

JulieArbit,BradBottoms,EarlLewis,andAlfordYoung,Jr,“The EvolutionofRaceandPlaceinGeographiesofRiskandResilience,” May2023,ProgressinEnvironmentalGeography.

BradBottoms,JulieArbit,EarlLewis,andAlfordYoung,Jr.,"Towards UrbanPlace-BasedResilienceModeling:MixedMethodsforaFlood ResilienceAssessmentIndex(FRAI),"June2023,Environment& PlanningB:SpatialInequalitiesandCities,(inreview)

KamriHudgins,ErykahBenson,SydneyCarr,JasmineSimington, ZoeWalker,JessicaCruz,VincentHutchings,EarlLewis,MaraCecilia Ostfeld,andAlfordYoung,Jr.,“CraftingDemocraticFutures: UnderstandingPoliticalConditionsandRacializedAttitudestowards BlackReparationsintheUS,”Fall2024,RussellSageFoundation JournaloftheSciences|BlackReparations:InsightsfromtheSocial Sciences,(inreview).

Center for Social Solutions Fundraising

Supported by The Andrew W Mellon Foundation

$195K Academic Leadership Institute

Just Futures Documentary

$225K Supported by The Andrew W Mellon Foundation and the University of Michigan

Supported by The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc, Spencer Stuart, and Storbeck Search

Supported by the Ford Foundation, William + Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund

The Dignity of Fragile Essential Workers in a Pandemic

$121.4K

National Partners

American Historical Association, Carnegie Mellon University, Concordia College, Connecticut College, Council of Independent Colleges, Emory University, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, Georgetown University, The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition - Yale University, Interfaith America, Liberty Shared, The New School, Princeton University Press, Rutgers University-Newark, University of Sheffield, Political Economy Research, Spelman College, Swarthmore College, University of California-Los Angeles, Wesleyan College, Wofford College, WQED Multimedia, International Center for Transitional Justice, People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond

University of Michigan Partners College of Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Engineering, College of Literature, Science & the Arts, Law School, National Center for Institutional Diversity, Poverty Solutions, Rackham Graduate School, School for Environment and Sustainability, School of Public Health, School of Social Work, School of Information, School of Public Policy, Library and Information Science, Global Health Institute, and the University Musical Society

GET INVOLVED

We seek three different types of partners to help us in our mission to identify and implement data-driven solutions that address social inequities.

Financial Partners individuals, foundations, corporations, and philanthropic organizations enable us to expand our projects, reach more communities, and amplify our impact

Research Partners

researchers and academic institutions can collaborate with us on projects to produce evidence-based insights that inform effective solutions

Thought Partners

experts and thought leaders in various fields related to social justice contribute their knowledge, insights, and innovative ideas to our initiatives

Learn more about our projects in need of support and work opportunities at lsa.umich.edu/social-solutions

Land Acknowledgment

The Center for Social Solutions acknowledges that the University of Michigan was built on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabeg (including the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Boodewadomi) and Wyandot, past, present, and future. The indigenous peoples granted their land in exchange for a guarantee that education at U-M would be equitable and accessible to indigenous peoples and other Michigan residents.

We assert the sovereignty of tribal lands and acknowledge the painful historical and ongoing genocide, forced assimilation, and displacement of Native communities in the establishment of U-M. We affirm the profound contributions of Native American peoples to this institution and the University's commitment to educate children of Native ancestors.

Enslaved Peoples' Labor Acknowledgment

We recognize, acknowledge, and affirm the historic and contemporary solidarities and intersections between Black and Indigenous peoples.

We acknowledge the extraction of brilliance, energy, and life for labor forced upon people of African descent for more than 400 years. As an organization, we are dedicated to advancing solutions that promote equality, dismantle oppressive systems, and uplift the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. We understand that acknowledging the labor of enslaved peoples is an essential step in addressing the historical and present-day injustices that continue to shape our society.

We carry our ancestors within us, and we are continually called to be better. We commit to dismantling racism in spaces of our work. We invite you to work beside us to create change.

We thank you for your continued support in our efforts to advance social justice.

Jordan B. Acker (Huntington Woods), Michael J. Behm (Grand Blanc), Mark J Bernstein (Ann Arbor), Paul W Brown (Ann Arbor), Sarah Hubbard (Okemos), Denise Ilitch (Bingham Farms), Ron Weiser (Ann Arbor), Katherine E. White (Ann Arbor), President Santa J. Ono (ex officio)