University design school initiative seeks racial justice

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the University of Minnesota’s College of Design launched the Design Justice Initiative, which seeks to support the retention and inclusion of Black, Indigenous and students of color through affinity spaces, policy adaptations and operational changes.

“In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, it became clear that we needed to think bigger with our commitment to anti-racism and address longer-term issues,” Carol Strohecker, dean of the College of Design, said. “The Design Justice Initiative is centered around addressing these longer-term issues.”

The College of Design plans on dedicating itself to anti-racism by using the new initiative to reevaluate its admissions practices and draw ideas and materials from social justice-involved organizations. In addition, the initiative will conduct curriculum mapping and auditing to ensure courses reflect multicultural perspectives and social justice values, The Minnesota Daily reported.

Terresa Moses is leading this initiative in her dual position as an assistant professor of graphic design and the director of the initiative. Moses said she would like to see Design Justice create a more inclusive pedagogy in the College of Design that breaks down the white supremacist and Eurocentric canon of design education.

“(Students will) have these experiences within their courses that allow them to broaden their worldview (and) understand how their own positionality will affect their outputs and designs,” Moses said.

She added she is looking to change the foundation of the College of Design’s curriculum and hopes to see more people of color and LGBTQ+ people represented in the design industry and scholarship.

This semester, the initiative started its search for faculty that...