Vision

A world without racism: where empathy, equity, and unity prosper; human variation is valued and seen as an asset essential to the progress and flourishing of the human family; and the life outcomes of all are radically improved.

Mission

To dismantle deeply rooted beliefs in racial hierarchies and disrupt persistent structures and impacts of racism at Duke, in Durham, and beyond.

Goals

1. Uncover, produce, and share accurate and complete narratives about race and racism.
2. Cultivate relationships that celebrate our common humanity, embrace our diversity, and expand the circles of individuals willing to work towards transformation.
3. Foster systemic change wherein every life has equal value and the consequences of a false belief in a racial hierarchy no longer shape our individual and collective experiences or outcomes.

Learn About Our Programs

“TRHT’s transformational goal involves racial healing and requires the imagination. We must envision a future United States that no longer believes in the fallacy of a racial hierarchy, a nation that truly celebrates our equal and connected humanity.”

Dr. Gail Christopher
Architect, Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Movement

Background

Duke University was selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) as one of 10 inaugural Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers. These centers are part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s TRHT movement – a comprehensive, national and community-based process to address the historic and contemporary sources of racism and bring about transformational and sustainable change.

The Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (Duke TRHT Center) is working towards becoming a formidable and influential vehicle for facilitating transformation at Duke, in Durham, and beyond. Critical to the success and sustainability of this university-wide effort is the visible and participatory commitment of campus and community leaders. To that end, one of our first tasks has been to establish and engage a steering committee of senior leadership at Duke. In addition, we are developing a comprehensive Racial Healing Circles program based on the Kellogg Foundation’s strategy, and extensive conversations and collaborations are underway on campus, in Durham, and with Duke Alumni to plan for the future.

We anticipate that the mission and vision of the Duke TRHT Center will evolve as the work progresses and as we continue to engage campus and community leaders and members. We are committed to maintaining a flexible posture.

People

• Center Team
• Steering Committee
• Affiliates
• Campus and Community Partners
• Race, Genomics & Society Alumni Network

Join us in shaping and building the TRHT Center!

• What is your vision of truth?
• What is your vision of racial healing?
• What is your vision of transformation?

Tell us your vision. We would like to learn more about you.

Your Stories Still Matter: Responding to COVID-19, Embracing Growth, Transforming Our World

We invite visitors to respond to Your Stories Still Matter, a collaborative public narrative response project in partnership with Duke Arts & The Nasher Museum of Art. The project began in 2020, inspired by an outdoor exhibition and public awareness campaign by artist Carrie Mae Weems called RESIST COVID / TAKE 6!

Our narrative response project continues as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Visitors are invited to engage with the exhibition In Relation to Power: Politically Engaged Works from the Collection. In their work, 57 artists focus on ways that artists comment on, and often vehemently resist, the dynamics of inequitable systems of power.