A CAMPUS NARRATIVE OF A RESEARCH-INFORMED VISIONING PROCESS
The vision, mission, and goals of the Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (Duke TRHT Center) align with those of Duke University and are guided by the framework and principles of the national TRHT Movement. As an institution, Duke continues to reckon with its historical and current narratives and create new ones, to promote and practice its five core values, and to remake institutional policies. The Duke TRHT Center is a campus-wide entity that strives to address both the roots and consequences of racism by helping to alter beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Research, education, and engagement are three key strategies that the center uses to accomplish its goals. This essay presents the center’s research, which aims to provide an accurate recounting of local and national histories of and perspectives on race and racism. The center is utilizing archival research and longitudinal qualitative and quantitative research methods to uncover and understand patterns and mechanisms and to translate its findings into models that demonstrate or cultivate individual, interpersonal, and institutional transformation. This campus essay illustrates how research can inform TRHT visioning work.
