The University of Michigan has had a decades-long history of supporting equity and inclusion within its student and faculty populations. However, in March 2025, the University's decision to end its flagship DEI program, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across campus, rattled the community and left many wondering "where do we go from here?" As we plan for the future, we look to helpful lessons from the past with former champions of DEI at the University of Michigan, Dr. Robert M. Sellers and Dr. Lester Monts.

In this special student-run episode, guest host and research associate Sydney Tunstall speaks with Princess-J'Maria Mboup about her role in the University of Michigan Black Student Union. They discuss how institutions are responding to current student problems and ways that students can engage effectively with their institutions to hold them accountable.

This episode was recorded prior to the University of Michigan's decision to end DEI programming on March 27th, 2025.

In this episode, we explore What Might Be with author and professor Susan Sturm. As anti-racist efforts face growing resistance, how can institutions move beyond rhetoric to create lasting change? Sturm outlines key paradoxes that challenge anti-racism work and offers strategies for navigating them. Together, we examine the tensions within predominantly white institutions, the dynamics of power and race, and how change agents can transform contradictions into engines for institutional re-imagination.

Robotics and artificial intelligence are changing the landscape of the modern workplace. As human computer interaction develops, how can we ensure the dignity of labor in an increasingly automated world? Earl is joined by Kentaro Toyama, WK Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, to address the role of technology in shaping human work past, present, and future.

As the effects of climate change accelerate, so too do the number of people requiring disaster relief. Research has shown that while natural disasters do not discriminate geographically, their effects do, frequently harming vulnerable communities. This episode explores how emergency managers and civilians alike can navigate disaster relief with trauma-informed techniques. Earl is joined by Professor Kati Corlew, whose expertise in the psychology of disaster and emergency management can teach us what role communities, governments, and researchers ought to play in a changing climate landscape.

In 2023, Michigan’s Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners established an Advisory Council on Reparations to address institutional racism and inequity through the creation of a Washtenaw Reparations Plan. The plan will highlight ways that County policies have harmed Black lives and include specific actions to atone for past harms across sectors including homeownership, education, healthcare, and more. Advisory Council member and Washtenaw County Racial Equity Officer Alize Asberry Payne joins Earl to offer insight on how local communities can support the advancement of reparations plans and pursue a future dedicated to racial equity.

The fourth novel in the Our Compelling Interests book series argues that colorblind policies have made college inaccessible to a large share of students of color and reveals how policies that acknowledge racial inequalities and set racial equality goals can set students and their institutions up for success in contrast. Author Gary Orfield explores paths forward and the benefits of inclusive practices for colleges and their communities as a whole. How can institutions look beyond standardized test scores to employ non-traditional admissions techniques to recruit talented students? How does diversity within an institution benefit its community and society at large?

The premiere of The Cost of Inheritance, a one-hour PBS documentary exploring the topic of reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans through personal stories, has sparked conversations on how to get controversial topics understood and accepted by the masses. Darryl Ford Williams, executive producer of the film, joins Earl to speak on the power of documentary filmmaking and how activists can utilize media to make a change.