"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." - WEB DuBois, 1903
Although progress has been made since these words were spoken more than a hundred years ago, America’s race-related problems remain with us in the 21st century. Race and ethnicity matter in virtually all aspects of our society and are likely to matter more as our society becomes even more diverse.
The mission of the center is to conduct applied social-science research on race, color, and ethnicity and their influence on the quality of life for all Americans.
The University of Pittsburgh established the center in 2002 to help lead America further along the path to social justice by conducting race-related research, mentoring emerging scholars, and disseminating race-related research findings and scholarship. CRSP is multidisciplinary in its approach and multiracial in its focus and was the first race-related research center to be housed in a school of social work.
The center focuses on race-related social problems in the following 8 areas: