A longstanding tradition in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, the Myra Kraft Open Classroom is a semester-long seminar series for the Northeastern community and the general public. The series seeks to invite diverse audiences to converge around a central theme and generate conversation about current topics relevant to our local and national communities.
The fall 2021 semester’s Myra Kraft Open Classroom focuses on hate crimes, anti-Semitism, anti-Asian discrimination, and on ways of bringing together disparate groups to address discrimination and reconciliation. It addresses history, reparations, racial dialogues, and approaches to addressing social justice in America. Jonathan Kaufman, Director of the School of Journalism, is this semester’s co-facilitator.
Collaborators and Funders
- Amilcar Barreto, Professor and Chair of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies; Professor and Interim Director of International Affairs; Professor of Political Science
- Ángel Nieves, Professor of Africana Studies, History, and Digital Humanities; Director of Public Humanities
- Claudia Capria, Graduate Student
- Haley D’amico, Graduate Student
- Jack Mcdevitt, Professor of the Practice in Criminology and Criminal Justice; Director, Institute on Race and Justice
- Kabria Baumgartner, Dean’s Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies
- Kim Lucas, Professor of the Practice in Public Policy and Economic Justice (January 2022)
- Lily Song, Assistant Professor of Race, Social Justice, and the Built Environment
- Matt Lee, Teaching Professor of Human Services
- Philip Thai, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies; Director, Asian Studies
- Rebecca Riccio, Director, Social Impact Lab; Lecturer of Human Services
- Regine Jean-Charles, Dean’s Professor of Culture and Social Justice; Professor of Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Director, Africana Studies
- Richard O’Bryant, Director, John D. O’Bryant African American Institute; Research Associate, Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy
- Samantha Canica, Graduate Student
- Tiffany Joseph, Associate Professor of Sociology and International Affairs; Graduate Program Director, Sociology
- Diedra Wrighting, Executive Director, ADVANCE Office of Faculty Development
- Karl Reid, Senior Vice Provost and Chief Inclusion Officer
- Margaret Burnham, Distinguished Professor of Law
- Meredith Clark, Associate Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Communication, Media Innovation and Social Change
- Michelle LaBoy, Assistant Professor of Architecture
- Adrian Walker, Columnist, The Boston Globe
- Andre Tippett, Hall of Fame Linebacker, New England Patriots (1982-1993)
- David Shribman, Pulitzer-Prize Winner; Former Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Dr. April Khadijah Inniss, Director of Community Engaged Research, King Boston
- Joanna Weiss, Editor-in Chief, Experience; Contributing Editor, POLITICO
- John Simons, Executive Editor, Time Magazine
- Josh Kraft, President, Kraft Family Philanthropies
- Josh Zakim, Former City Councilor representing Back Bay, Fenway-Kenmore and Mission Hill; Board Member, The Lenny Zakim Fund; Executive Director, Housing Forward MA
- Menachem Kaiser, Author of Plunder
- Eric Goldstein, Associate Professor of History, Emory University
- Rabbi Mira Rivera
