Academic Year 2024-2025
Annual Report
Presented by:
Dr. Stanley Thangaraj, the James E. Hayden Chair for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice
The Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice at Stonehill (CRES) launched in Fall 2021 after nearly five years of planning and preparation. During the 2024-2025 academic year, we welcomed a wide swath of scholars and cultural producers discussing a range of topics ranging from refugee lives through Cambodian American poetry to Filipinx American sporting cultures to Dominican politics of hair to Egyptian Coptic lives during this time of the “global war on terror” to the art of African American feminists. CRES played a vital role in various sorts of programming beyond just the five lectures that took place on campus. We launched the “Critical Race and Ethnic Studies” (CRE) major and minor in fall 2024 and had three students graduate in May, 2025 with a CRE Minor. In addition, with the ongoing attacks on education during this Trump Presidency, we have modified our major and minor name to “Ethnic Studies.”
The Center collaborated with various stakeholders among the faculty and students to put together events to address the on-going war in Gaza. This collaboration consisted of posting flags on the quad marking the names of Palestinian and Israeli children who have been killed in the war. We followed up with a virtual panel concerning Palestinian lives and the atrocities taking place in Gaza, and we had nearly 200 community members attend. Presented in an in-person format, the programming of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice was designed to complement the College’s academic curriculum and foster student and faculty engagement in interdisciplinary studies of race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality studies, class, and social justice.
Over the course of the year, over 1,000 people attended CRES programs, including the Center’s inaugural donor, Liz Hayden, who joined us for several of our talks. The mix of events ranged from public-facing and student-facing to specific events structured to support faculty scholarly production. The major lectures were open to the public. As a result, in addition to the Stonehill College community, we had residents of Brockton, Easton, and Sharon attend our events.
CRES also fostered student-faculty collaboration and student creative accomplishments, selecting the Hayden Family SURE (Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience) Scholar for Summer 2024.
Dr. Stanley Thangaraj, James E. Hayden Chair for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice, and Dr. Sameera Akella, Dr. Guillermo Caballero, and Dr. Ashvin Kini co-planned all the major lectures, workshops, and student-facing events on campus while playing a key role in issuing statements in support of justice.
Under Dr. Thangaraj’s continued leadership and guidance, CRES goals for the upcoming year are to host three planned lectures including the fourth Hayden Lecture, assembling the fourth annual undergraduate and graduate research conference, creating connections with Brockton for a spoken word events and other forms of community building, continuing with writing workshops and brown bag sessions for junior faculty, expanding the number of minors and majors in the Ethnic Studies Major and Minor, supporting the three new faculty of color who were part of the cluster hire, pushing forward a rigorous fund raising campaign for CRES, organizing an external advisory committee, and continuing to create interdisciplinary spaces to engage with race, ethnicity, and social justice.
Steering Committee
The Center’s 2025-2025 academic year also took shape with the leadership of the steering committee of the Center. In addition to Stan Thangaraj, the members of the steering committee included faculty from across the College:
The Center sponsored five public lectures in the 2024-2025 Academic Year, planned and organized by Dr. Stan Thangaraj, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the May School of Arts & Sciences Erin Dzierzak, Dr. Sameera Akella, Dr. Guillermo Caballero, Dr. Ashvin Kini, and Stonehill students. The events also received $2,000 in support from Dr. Craig Kelley and his office. The distinguished scholars and writers who visited campus represented a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, sciences, and arts. The events were well attended by students, faculty, and staff, and residents of neighboring towns.
Dr. Roderick Ferguson Event
Dr. Jon Hale Event
Dr. Kim TallBear Event
Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the Thomas and Donna May School of Arts & Sciences Erin Dzierzak has been the permanent administrative assistant to CRES efforts since the Summer of 2023. Ms. Dzierzak is a critical administrative resource in supporting the logistical needs of the Center as programs and speaking engagements continue to be central to CRES offerings.
Center Statements to the Campus Community
CRES issued a public statement to the campus community expressing concern for the violence in Israel and Palestine. The statement offered ways to support Palestinians and Israelis during this difficult time.
Alexandra Trantos ’25 was selected by Dr. Thangaraj as the Hayden Family SURE Scholar for the summer of 2024. She is conducting research with Dr. Anwar Mhajne, Associate Professor of Political Science, on “Disinformation in the Israel-Hamas War.”
Their research paper aims to understand how the diffusion of mis- and disinformation concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict has been used as a strategy of war. To examine the spread of false information, this research utilizes qualitative data to assemble a sample of content from social media, online platforms, news articles, as well as official statements by political actors in order to uncover the hidden, symbolic, and often threatening implications of unverified information. Alexandra and Professor Mhajne already have a publication on the topic together and plan on publishing more on the topic.
This past year was quite busy for Dr. Thangaraj as he moved ahead with the interview process for the cluster hire for the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice. Many great candidates emerged from a talented pool. Stonehill College, the English Department, the Sociology and Anthropology Department, the Political Science Department, and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice were excited to secure three incredible candidates through the cluster hire.
Together, they will bring forth their expertise in Asian American Studies, South Asian American Studies, Black literature, trans and queer communities of color, Black Feminism, Queer of Color Critique, Black politics, Latinx Politics, Health Disparities, American Racism, and US empire.
Thank you for making a gift in support of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice.
The Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice launched in fall 2021 as a new home for innovative and interdisciplinary teaching, research, and public dialogue at Stonehill College.
