The University of Michigan has had a decades-long history of supporting equity and inclusion within its student and faculty populations. However, in March 2025, the University's decision to end its flagship DEI program, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across campus, rattled the community and left many wondering "where do we go from here?" As we plan for the future, we look to helpful lessons from the past with former champions of DEI at the University of Michigan, Dr. Robert M. Sellers and Dr. Lester Monts.

In this special student-run episode, guest host and research associate Sydney Tunstall speaks with Princess-J'Maria Mboup about her role in the University of Michigan Black Student Union. They discuss how institutions are responding to current student problems and ways that students can engage effectively with their institutions to hold them accountable.

This episode was recorded prior to the University of Michigan's decision to end DEI programming on March 27th, 2025.

In this episode, we explore What Might Be with author and professor Susan Sturm. As anti-racist efforts face growing resistance, how can institutions move beyond rhetoric to create lasting change? Sturm outlines key paradoxes that challenge anti-racism work and offers strategies for navigating them. Together, we examine the tensions within predominantly white institutions, the dynamics of power and race, and how change agents can transform contradictions into engines for institutional re-imagination.