Institute for Racial Justice (IRJ)
Institute for Racial Justice
Transformational education. Change-making research. Community collaboration. We’re bringing it all together to advance the fight for racial justice. We’re combining the resources of Loyola University Chicago, the knowledge of our trusted partners and the passion of our people. Together, we’re creating innovative paths to a more equitable future.
irj in action
Our Mission
We are the interdisciplinary hub for racial justice work across Loyola University Chicago and beyond. We build deep relationships, accelerate transformational research and education, and create a collective impact toward racial justice and equity.
Our Work
We’re fighting for racial justice on multiple, interconnected fronts — through academic research, educational programs and community partnerships. We’re addressing health disparities, economic inequality, environmental justice, and more.
Our People
We bring together faculty and students from across Loyola and affiliated scholars and community leaders. Meet the people making change happen.
Testimonials
"Working for IRJ has allowed me to gain more insight into culture, leadership, economic justice, and the decolonization of education while also developing new skills and improving my abilities." Bryanna Baddoo
IRJ Student Research Associate
Get Involved
As a Loyola student, you’ll have ample opportunity to join IRJ’s work through education and research. These include but are not limited to:
- Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships.
- Graduate Research Fellowships.
- Seed grants for student projects.
- Undergraduate and graduate student worker positions.
- Internships with community organizations advancing racial justice.
- Applied research experience on real-world projects.
Launch your career as an academic who drives structural change with us. We’re committed to building pathways for scholars who want to advance intersectional, interdisciplinary research centered on racial justice in academia and applied to the real world. We’ve launched a Postdoctoral Fellows Initiative and are currently recruiting our first cohort.
We’re seeking three scholars:
- An economic justice postdoctoral fellow
- An educational justice postdoctoral fellow
- An environmental justice postdoctoral fellow
The two-year fellowships provide opportunities for research, giving and receiving mentoring and building community across disciplines. You will have a primary appointment in IRJ with the opportunity to secure courtesy appointments across Loyola, as well as private and not-for-profit organizations.
We invite faculty members from Loyola and beyond to bring your transformational work to IRJ. If your scholarship focuses on dismantling racism and establishing equity, this is the place to do it. We offer robust grant-writing support and professional development, and our wealth of deep partnerships ensures your work will be community-informed and actionable.
We seek to collaborate with faculty members to deliver interdisciplinary professional development programming for those who want to serve organizations hungry for technical assistance and other faculty expertise.
We want to build mutually beneficial partnerships with private and not-for-profit organizations — to learn from one another and multiply our collective impact. We value our relationships greatly and ensure we commit the time and effort to understand each other. We'll rely on you to help us understand how Loyola and IRJ can add value. In turn, you'll inform our research and education activities with ideas that can only come from your knowledge and experience.
Chicago Urban League "State of Black Chicago" on CBS
The Chicago Urban League recently released its latest report on the "State of Black Chicago," a periodic examination of racial inequities in various areas like education, housing, and health. Joining us to discuss the reports findings are Urban League president and CEO Karen Freeman-Wilson and Loyola University assistant professor and researcher Twyla Blackmond Larnell.