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Last week, Annie Rorem (MPP ‘13) shared a new vision for a country of people inspired to serve the public good.

In the wake of past injustices, truth commissions offer divided communities the chance to reach a common understanding of their history. For his Applied Policy Project (APP) at Batten, George Rudebusch (MPP ’20, Law ’20) studied eight historical truth commissions from across the nation.

When it comes to the healthcare you receive, the color of your skin can make a significant difference, social psychologist Sophie Trawalter told an online audience last week.

Nearly five dozen UVA and Harvard University students have been selected for the new 22nd Century Scholars scholarship program, which is launching this week as partnered with the UVA Center for Politics, the Miller Center, and the Weldon Cooper Center/Sorensen Institute.

Upon realizing the vast number of students who were suddenly losing summer jobs and internships, the Cooper Center leapt into action. Batten Professor Bill Shobe and his team made the decision to take on as many interns for its Virginia Clean Energy Project as it could possibly handle.

Batten Associate Professor of Public Policy Dr. Brian N. Williams, discusses police-community relations, the Black Lives Matter movement, and equal justice through understanding as a guest on The Finch Podcast.

We all want to change the world, but where do we start? Irma Palmer (BA '10, MPP ‘15) offers some tips and tricks.

“We’re at the intersection of past and present—and we're teetering a bit,” Batten professor Brian N. Williams told an online audience last week. “Evolution or revolution? Reform or riot? Progress or more protests? Should we defund and divest or deconstruct and reconstruct?”

Recent graduate Rachel Davidson Raycraft (MPP/JD ’20) discusses her work as a 2019-20 World Economic Forum Research Assistant and participation in their ongoing project with the Inter-American Development Bank and Colombian Inspector General’s Office on blockchain-based procurement.

Earlier this week Governor Northam of Virginia declared June 19 as a day to reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth. The University of Virginia and Batten School also honor this day.

“It was a huge wake-up call for me,” Ian Solomon told me. “It’s too easy to put the blame on individuals and not recognize what’s below the surface. We put all the blame on a person’s failings, and they do have failings. But my brother did not fail to be a human being, right? It’s easy to dehumanize people for their errors, for their mistakes, for their addictions, for their pasts.”

For the latest edition of Batten’s Expert Chat Series, Dean Ian Solomon led the Batten community in a discussion of the University’s fight against racism and inequity.