Stanford Center for Racial Justice

Evan Gilbert and Andrea Akinola share powerful thoughts on what it means to conduct humanizing education research in our latest Roses Talk Student Reflection blog post. Check it out at the link below! Roses Talk: Elevating At-Promise Student Voices in San José Unified is a Stanford Law School / Stanford University Graduate School of Education policy lab where Stanford University students conduct interviews and focus groups with the most marginalized students at?Gunderson High School, a Title I school in San José Unified School District. Using this data, students will develop policy recommendations that inform school and district decision making, particularly on how to engage and improve outcomes for at-promise students across the district. As part of their coursework, students author a series of independent blog posts that offer insight into their experiences. These reflections not only document their learning but also contribute to an ongoing dialogue about education in the U.S., particularly by amplifying the voices of the young people they work with.

In our latest Roses Talk Student Reflection blog post, Kimberly González-Zelaya and Antonio Cruz Preciado share their personal motivations for participating in the policy lab and provide insightful reflections on their interviews with students at Gunderson High School in San José Unified School District. Check out their reflections by clicking the link below! Roses Talk: Elevating At-Promise Student Voices in San José Unified is a Stanford Law School / Stanford University Graduate School of Education Policy Lab where Stanford students conduct interviews and focus groups with the most marginalized students at?Gunderson High School, a Title I school in?San Jose Unified. Using this data, students will develop policy recommendations that inform school and district decision making, particularly on how to engage and improve outcomes for at-promise students across the district. As part of their coursework, students author a series of independent blog posts that offer insight into their experiences. These reflections not only document their learning but also contribute to an ongoing dialogue about education in the U.S., particularly by amplifying the voices of the young people they work with.

In our new policy lab—Roses Talk: Elevating At-Promise Student Voices in San José Unified—Stanford students conduct interviews and focus groups with the most marginalized students at Gunderson High School, a Title I school in San José Unified School District. Using this data, students will develop policy recommendations that inform school and district decision making, particularly on how to engage and improve outcomes for at-promise students across the district. As part of their coursework, students author a series of independent blog posts that offer insight into their experiences. These reflections not only document their learning but also contribute to an ongoing dialogue about education in the U.S., particularly by amplifying the voices of the young people they work with. In the latest blog post, students Zoe Edelman and Sara Sarmiento share powerful insights, including the invaluable student perspectives that can guide district-wide policy decisions. Check out their reflections by clicking the link below! — Stanford Law School Stanford University Graduate School of Education #stanfordracialjustice #stanford #stanfordlaw #stanfordgse #stanfordstudents #haascenterforpublicservice #communityengagement #sanjoseunifiedschooldistrict #gundersonhighschool #gundersongrizzlies #education #educationreform #educationequity #educationjustice #educationpolicy #publicpolicy #educationlaw #educationresearch #qualitativeresearch #studentvoice #k12education

We are delighted to welcome the inaugural recipients of the Harry Bremond-Wilson Sonsini Foundation Student Fellowship at the Stanford Center for Racial Justice: Brian Xu (JD ‘26) and Victor Y. Wu (JD ‘25, PhD ‘28)! Launched in November 2024 with the generous support of the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation, the fellowship offers Stanford Law School 2L and 3L students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in transformative racial justice work. Through a dual learning experience that combines meaningful contributions to Center initiatives and exposure to pro bono practice at Wilson Sonsini, Brian and Victor will engage deeply with the complexities of race and justice in America while exploring different pathways to effect change as legal professionals. Learn more about this year's Bremond Fellows at the link below!

This winter we launched Roses Talk: Elevating At-Promise Student Voices in San José Unified (Stanford Law School LAW 809X / Stanford University Graduate School of Education EDUC 309X), a Stanford Law and Policy Lab that seeks to directly address persistent disparities in education by elevating the voices of marginalized students in school and district decision making. We are thrilled to be partnering with San José Unified School District and Gunderson High School for this project, which is supported by a 2025 Community Engagement Impact Fund award from the Stanford University Office of Community Engagement and a Cardinal Course Grant from the Haas Center For Public Service. Throughout Winter and Spring Quarters, Stanford students will conduct interviews and focus groups with Gunderson’s “at-promise” students—those who may fail to earn a high school diploma for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to low scores on standardized tests, English language learner status, previous suspension or expulsion, and special education. Using this data, students will develop policy recommendations that inform school and district decision making, particularly on how to engage and improve outcomes for the most marginalized students in SJUSD. We’re excited to introduce the exceptional cohort of Stanford students working on this project. Each brings a diverse and impressive blend of academic and professional experience, united by a shared commitment to transforming education and empowering students who are often the hardest to reach. Learn more about our students and the project at the link below! Andrea Akinola, JD '27 Zoe Edelman, BA '25 Evan Gilbert, MA '25 (Graduate School of Education) Kimberly González-Zelaya, BA '25 Rebecca Han, JD '26 Antonio Cruz Preciado, BA '25 Chaelyn Anderson, BA '25 Sara Sarmiento, JD '27 https://lnkd.in/g2yGjPPx

In November we celebrated the launch of the Harry Bremond-Wilson Sonsini Foundation Student Fellowship—a unique and exciting opportunity for Stanford Law School students to advance racial justice through innovative projects at the Center and in partnership with Wilson Sonsini's pro bono team. Watch the launch event highlights, which gathered over 130 attendees from the Stanford Law community and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. https://lnkd.in/gwtq6fZ9

Critical race theory continues to spark debates across the nation, with many grappling with its implications for education, law, and society. In a recent article by Voice of America News, our Faculty Director and Stanford Law School Professor Rick Banks offers valuable insights into the polarized discourse surrounding CRT and the importance of understanding America's racial history. “What we are seeing is that America is having a very public argument about how to discuss race in our country. It is a conversation about how we talk about the racist incidents in our past but also about how the past continues to shape inequalities in the present. But what makes the topic especially charged is that this is a debate that has reached our children and their classrooms.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gvcVEn6V

Learn more about the transformative Stanford Law School S-term course led by Jennifer Eberhardt, a professor of organizational behavior and psychology at Stanford, Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and Ralph Richard Banks, Stanford Law professor and Faculty Director of the Stanford Center for Racial Justice. The course dove into the complex history of racial narratives shaping American history and justice and invited students to explore pivotal moments, cultural shifts, and ongoing social challenges through interactive lectures, discussions, and a trip to key historical sites in?Montgomery, Alabama. Read the Stanford Report story linked below.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural Harry Bremond-Wilson Sonsini Foundation Student Fellowship, open to Stanford Law School 2L and 3L students. The fellowship offers students a unique dual learning experience that immerses them in racial justice work through a wide range of impactful opportunities. Students will spend time advancing innovative projects and initiatives at the Center—developing a deeper understanding of racial justice issues and honing their legal and policy research, writing, analytical, and advocacy skills. Their Center work will be complemented with opportunities to explore pro bono practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, through mentorship, a speaker series, and educational engagement with live cases. Applications are now open! Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gAfDT6Dh

Please join us to celebrate the launch of the Harry Bremond-Wilson Sonsini Foundation Fellowship, which offers Stanford 2L and 3L students a unique dual learning opportunity to engage in racial justice work at the Center and explore pro bono practice with Wilson Sonsini. The event will feature a discussion with Mr. Harry Bremond and special guests, moderated by Professor Rick Banks, followed by a dinner reception. This event is open to the Stanford Law School community. Please click the link below to register.