About the Center

The Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice was founded in 1992 as a joint effort of the University of Minnesota and the Roy Wilkins Foundation to carry on the legacy of Roy Wilkins, former chief executive of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It is the only endowed center and chair in Wilkins' memory in the United States.

Our History + Future

The Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice was given the mandate to carry on Wilkins' work through cutting-edge research, dialogue, and consensus among people of all communities. The Roy Wilkins chair and center were inaugurated with the appointment of Dr. Samuel L. Myers, Jr., an economist, as chair holder and director of the center. Dr. Myers directs the center's work and oversees a staff of program professionals, graduate students, and doctoral research associates.

The Wilkins Center continues to press its agenda into the future, adding anti-racism initiatives in the Upper Midwest and improving information sharing between community organizations and research institutions like the Humphrey School to its already impressive portfolio of research and outreach initiatives. Using its integrated method of research, dialogue, and community partnerships, the Wilkins Center will continue to make significant contributions to policy development at the local and national level and to improving the lives of people of color at all levels.

Mission

Social justice—does it exist for all? That question lies at the center of the Wilkins Center's mission.

Who was Roy Wilkins?

Learn more about the famed civil rights leader for whom the center is named.