Pursuing Insight, Harmony, & Justice.
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
05/28/2026
Save the Date! NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania will host its fifth annual Black Mental Health Summit on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at the Commonwealth Charter Academy at The Waterfront in Pittsburgh. Dr. Kya Conner, Director of the Center on Race & Social Problems will be the keynote speaker: "The Science of Sankofa: Using Culture to Reconnect, Restore, and Heal Black Mental Health" Register here: https://ow.ly/n2P050Z5gsG
The recap video is here! 🎥
Last month, we welcomed award-winning UCLA professor, actor, and storyteller Dr. Micah E. Johnson to Pittsburgh for a sold-out performance of "On Sight" — a one-of-a-kind comedy special for youth that blends street culture, storytelling, and science to explore emotional regulation, stress management, and conflict resolution.
Watch the full recap video produced by Dr. Alexus Brown of Lexycal Multimedia and relive the night. Share it with someone who needs to see it!
Learn more about Dr. Micah Johnson's work: https://ow.ly/sZHU50YWmrS
Learn more about Lexycal Multimedia: https://ow.ly/ZZQv50YWmrT
Pitt Social Work was proud to partner with the University of Pittsburgh School of Law to bring this experience to our community.
05/07/2026
We were thrilled to welcome award-winning UCLA professor, actor and storyteller Dr. Micah E. Johnson to Pittsburgh for a sold-out, packed house performance of "On Sight" at Alumni Theater Company last month! This one-of-a-kind comedy special blends street culture, storytelling, and science to explore emotional regulation, stress management, and conflict resolution — designed for youth and the people who support them.
Thank you to everyone in the community who joined us for this special night!
Pitt Social Work was proud to partner with the University of Pittsburgh School of Law to make this night happen. A special thank you to Dr. Alexus Brown of Lexycal Multimedia Solutions for producing the recap video. Stay tuned, we're sharing it later today!
Photography by David Issod
04/30/2026
Congratulations to Aniah Brewer on being selected as the Graduate Student Speaker for The Gathering on Saturday, May 2nd!
The Gathering is a graduation ceremony hosted by Pitt's Office of Institutional Engagement and Wellbeing, celebrating undergraduate and graduate BIPOC students at the University of Pittsburgh.
Aniah is an Advanced Standing Master of Social Work student at Pitt, specializing in Community Organizing and Social Action (COSA) and has been a fellow of Pitt SSW's Community and Racial Equity Leadership (CREL) program this year.
Congratulations, Aniah! 🎓✨
04/29/2026
What happens when Pitt's race-equity research centers spend a Saturday working toward the impossible together? Something special.
Pitt SSW's Center on Race and Social Problems is leading a Pitt Research Momentum Teaming Grant that brought six of the university's race-focused centers together for an Impossible Project session — a facilitated space designed for bold, collective visioning. The goal: explore what becomes possible when we stop working in silos and start building something none of us could tackle alone.
We mapped shared challenges, imagined new possibilities, and took another step toward pursuing larger, externally funded work that could transform race equity research at Pitt.
Thank you to our Pitt partners in this work: University of Pittsburgh Center for Urban Education | Center for Health Equity | Center for Ethnic Studies Research | Pitt Center for African Studies | Pitt Law Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice
The impossible is looking more possible every day.
04/23/2026
Save the date! Pitt Social Work COSA Alum Mike Eichler’s Play “SIXTY NINE SEVENTY” will be showing on May 14-17 and May 21-24 at City Theater on the South Side. The play is about activism among college students at Buffalo State University amidst growing civil unrest and distrust of the Nixon Administration.
Buy tickets here: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/sixtynineseventypgh/sixtynine-seventy
Learn more about the play here: https://ow.ly/5rQi50YIhf7
The proceeds from all ticket sales go to the COSA MSW Specialization.
04/21/2026
Health equity in action! We're proud to have had Dr. Kyaien Conner, Dr. Latonya Latamore, and Femi Adesanmi represent Pitt SSW's Center on Race and Social Problems at last week's Pennsylvania Health Equity Summit.
04/20/2026
TODAY AT 5 PM: From Minneapolis to Pittsburgh: Community Strategies for Supporting Our Refugee + Immigrant Neighbors (Hybrid Event)
Join us for a conversation with front-line supports and organizers to learn about efforts to support immigrant and refugee communities in Minnesota. This conversation will be followed by a moderated discussion focused on local opportunities for engagement, advocacy, and action. Sponsored by Pitt Social Work.
Monday, April 20th (5-7 pm)
Cathedral of Learning, Floor 20 (Room 2017) or Zoom
Food provided!
RSVP Here: https://ow.ly/PbBP50YHb3y
04/11/2026
From Minneapolis to Pittsburgh: Community Strategies for Supporting Our Refugee + Immigrant Neighbors
Join us for a conversation with front-line supports and organizers to learn about efforts to support immigrant and refugee communities in Minnesota. This conversation will be followed by a moderated discussion focused on local opportunities for engagement, advocacy, and action. Sponsored by Pitt Social Work.
Monday, April 20th (5-7 pm)
Cathedral of Learning, Floor 20 (Room 2017) or Zoom
Food provided!
RSVP Here: https://ow.ly/2GFv50YHb3z
04/10/2026
Thank you to Dr. Micah Johnson and our Social Work students who joined us for today's Lunch & Learn event!
We had a rich discussion with Dr. Johnson on how trauma, adversity and systemic inequity shape youth behavior and justice involvement — and what it looks like for social work, law, and behavioral health professionals to better collaborate in serving young people.