The Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice at Hofstra University

Aloha! My name is Dr. Jonathan Lightfoot, and I am the Founding Director of the Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice. I begin by giving respect to and acknowledging the 13 Algonquin tribes of Long Island whose land we occupy. Today we celebrate our 7th anniversary of service to Hofstra University and the larger Hofstra community. Numerologically, the number 7 represents knowledge, intellectual curiosity, and a search for the truth. It is an opportunity to reflect on the impact we have had on Hofstra. Attorney Gloria Browne Marshall gave us our initial charge when we launched on March 8, 2017. She encouraged us to consider our shared history as part of a blueprint to follow as we looked forward with hope for fulfilling our mission in the future. Thanks to our current associate director, Dr. Veronica Lippencott, our current six (6) student fellows, President Susan Poser, Provost Charlie Riordan, Vice Provost Comila Shahani-Denning, past associate directors, Benita Sampedro and S...

  Diversity at a university is not merely a goal to be achieved but a fundamental necessity for holistic growth and learning. Embracing diversity enriches the academic environment by exposing students to a multitude of perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking. As individuals from diverse backgrounds come together, they bring with them unique insights and cultural nuances that challenge conventional wisdom and encourage critical thinking. This melting pot of diversity fosters creativity and empathy. Hofstra University’s mission is to prepar e students to navigate the complexities of an interconnected world. This particular project allowed me to uncover the international community here at our university. In addition, I was able to draw connections as to why our international student population is growing. My findings, through conversations with department chairs and Hofstra websites, indicate that some campus units specifically target international students and this has...

  When talking about what is most important to the development of individual people and society, one may argue that education is the factor that weighs the heaviest. In this context, education is the knowledge gained from a source that has the intention of teaching its receivers something new about the world or themselves. Education can hold so much value to people because it leads to many opportunities that allow us to support ourselves and our families. Unfortunately, higher education is essentially inaccessible to a significant portion of the black population in the United States which makes the need for Higher Education Opportunity Programs (HEOP) even greater. I am a member of a HEOP called the New Opportunities at Hofstra (NOAH) program. NOAH was formed in 1964 and served as the model program for HEOPs. Today, it is an HEOP program itself that has allowed me and many other students from low-income backgrounds to attend Hofstra. Normally, Hofstra wouldn’t be affordable f...