| In the midst of Operation Understanding DC’s year-end activities – communicating updates, balancing our budget, etc. – we want to take a pause and celebrate honors recently bestowed upon two people who are central to the program, Dr. Charles Chavis and Dr. Linda Mann, of George Mason University. Dr. Chavis is the founder and head of GMU’s John Mitchell Jr. Program (“the Mitchell Program”), which is partnering with OUDC to present our Social Justice Fellowship Program; indeed, he was the original driving force behind the partnership. Dr. Mann, also associated with the Mitchell Program, is Executive Director of OUDC, and is largely responsible for the current contours of the program – its curriculum, format, and general mission focus – and its continuing evolution. Both were recently recognized for their significant scholarship and contributions to the pursuit of human and civil rights. |
 Dr. Chavis with board members Bruce Aft, Daniel Nathan and Josh Levin. Photo credit: Erica Chavis. Dr. Chavis On Monday, Nov. 18 at the 30th annual Concert Against Hate at the Kennedy Center sponsored by the ADL, Dr. Chavis was honored for his work fighting racism and antisemitism and promoting Black-Jewish relations. As an honoree, his inspirational story and impressive work on reconciliation and racial relations were presented from the stage in a first-person narrative delivered by actor Blair Underwood. Of particular significance to our community, the narrative focused quite a bit on Dr. Chavis’s work with OUDC, displaying photographs of him with our Social Justice Fellows on the Summer Journey, including the visit to the home of Dr. Chavis’s ancestors outside Wilmington, NC. We are excited that attendees at the event, including many important figures in the fight against bigotry, were exposed to OUDC’s good work.  Our Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Mann, with our Social Justice Fellows. Photo Credit: Freeman Long Dr. Mann Earlier in the year, Dr. Mann received the Fulbright-Schuman European Union Affairs award. This prestigious honor recognizes her dedication to advancing US-EU transatlantic policy research, focusing on transitional justice. Dr. Mann is conducting research this year at the University of Amsterdam’s NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and the Human Rights Centre at the University of Ghent. In her travels and research in and around the Netherlands, Dr. Mann continues to be fully involved with OUDC’s program and activities. ******************* OUDC is extremely fortunate to have such notable scholars and social justice luminaries involved with our program, and we are proud to be able to bask in their luster. We congratulate Dr. Chavis and Dr. Mann on these recognitions. In honor of Dr. Chavis and Dr. Mann, please consider donating to OUDC’s Social Justice Fellowship Program, which is run by the Mitchell Program under its diligent and committed leadership. |