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Junior Dominique Dowling has been working to enact social change since high school. She joined the GMU NAACP chapter in her second year at �鶹��Ƶ, and now she is the group’s vice president. Through the chapter, she has been involved in numerous panels and committees, which inspired her to do more anti-racism work on campus.“Being part of the NAACP has exposed me to different initiatives and people who have been doing this work for years,” said the integrative studies major. “It made me realize that anti-racism work requires an ongoing dedication because there is always work to be done.”

�鶹��Ƶ's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Evening of Reflection event on Thursday included a discussion between President Gregory Washington and a student panel about the opportunities they have to make changes to improve social justice and equity. Spirit of King award winners were also announced.

Step into a local Total Wine or Whole Foods store and you may be surprised to find George �鶹��Ƶ among the wine bottles on the shelves. Sporting a colonial hat with a modern pair of shades, he’s the face of �鶹��Ƶ’s private wine label.

MLK Evening of Reflection

Of the more than 4,000 lynchings of Black Americans that took place in the United States between 1865 and 1950, at least 43 cases occurred in Maryland. �鶹��Ƶ’s John Mitchell Jr. Program (JMJP), housed within the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, has been helping research several of these cases since 2019 to support the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In October, they received news that they will be taking their research to the next level, thanks to a $300,000 Department of Justice grant they helped secure for the commission.

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has awarded a $2 million grant to �鶹��Ƶ to further the advancement of forensic science.

For Nicole Lynn Lewis, Master’s in Public Policy ’06, completing her undergraduate degree as a single mom not only opened doors of opportunity, but symbolized how far she had come despite the challenges involved.

Understanding what anti-racism, diversity and inclusion mean for �鶹��Ƶ was just one of the goals of Monday’s Freedom and Learning forum hosted by President Gregory Washington. Ensuring a common definition of the terms helps create meaningful dialogue, and helps the �鶹��Ƶ community understand the work of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force.

Prior to a high stakes election, �鶹��Ƶ’s campus is normally buzzing with activities, dialogue and events. That’s more of a challenge this year due to COVID-19, but Justin Gest is determined to keep the momentum alive.

Get your master's from a top 3 ranked online program

We are halfway through the fall semester, and by all accounts, we have passed one of the biggest hurdles facing universities: �鶹��Ƶ has successfully reopened our campuses, kept our community safe, and delivered on our educational mission despite the pandemic. This has been challenging work for everyone in our community, and I want to applaud the efforts to make �鶹��Ƶ a model for success.

Faculty members Holly Matto, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, Stephanie Carmack, and Nathalia Peixoto, and graduate student Matthew Scherbel, are working with Brightline Interactive to examine the effects of recovery cues, using virtual reality simulations, on neurophysiological regulation to prevent drug relapse.