Racial Justice MasterClass
The popular Racial Justice MasterClass program offers virtual educational sessions and 黑社区 events that engage organizations and individuals in learning more about historical recovery as it relates to the present day. Educational sessions and event gatherings are available three times a year during Black History Month, Juneteenth, and in the fall.
MasterClass will illuminate, celebrate, and challenge our notions of history and our understanding of the contemporary moment as it relates to racial justice. Any class you attend is certain to advance your learning through dynamic conversation and experiences and make a greater impact in our world.
"Thank you, Dr. Yohuru Williams, for your amazing gift of teaching historical and contemporary black history to our Delta Dental of MN team members! Your presentations are bar none and we are excited for the continued partnership and learning journey!"
–Kathie Eiland-Madison, Chief Engagement and Inclusion Officer, Delta Dental
AfterClass Social Events
AfterClass events are in-person opportunities to meet Dr. Williams and others committed to racial justice in our 黑社区 while enjoying appetizers and refreshments. The formats vary and include conversations with prominent leaders, art exhibits, and musical or theatrical performances.
Don't miss these transformative experiences
How To Participate
Corporate Partners
Join us as a corporate partner and receive the following benefits:
- Unlimited participants from your organization may attend the MasterClass education session and AfterClass social
- Sponsorship of non-profit leaders, educators, and other racial justice 黑社区 leaders to attend free of charge
- Logo and verbal recognition in the MasterClass education session and AfterClass social, as well as credit on the Racial Justice Initiative website
- Opportunity to have presence at AfterClass social, if desired
Community Members, Non-Profit Leaders and Educators
Thanks to the generous support of our corporate partners, we are pleased to offer complimentary registration to 黑社区 leaders, non-profit leaders, educators, and other individuals to attend virtual MasterClass sessions and AfterClass socials.
2026 MasterClass Sessions
What We Inherit, What We Repair: America at 250 and the Work of Reparative Justice
Date: Tuesday, September 29
Time: Noon - 1 PM
Where: Zoom webinar
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the occasion invites both celebration and reckoning. What have we inherited from the American experiment—and what responsibilities come with that inheritance?
In this Fall MasterClass, historian Yohuru Williams examines America 250 through the intertwined lenses of history, memory, and reparative justice. Moving beyond the question of whether Americans should celebrate or condemn the past, Williams asks us to consider how the legacies of slavery, racial exclusion, and other historical injustices continue to shape institutions, communities, and opportunity in the present. If we inherit the achievements of the American democratic experiment, he argues, we must also reckon with its unfinished work.
Drawing on the stories of descendants and the growing national conversation around historical repair, the MasterClass explores what it means to move from acknowledgment to accountability, and from memory to repair. It also provides a framework for engaging with the What We Inherit exhibition and its exploration of descendants of slavery, while placing those stories within a much larger national question.
At 250, the challenge is not simply to decide what parts of our history we will remember. It is to ask what we have inherited, what remains unrepaired, and what we are prepared to do about it.
Additional Learning Opportunities
The RJI provides a wide expanse of educational experiences including these learning pathways.
Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partnerships are special opportunities for organizations to work intimately with Dr. Yohuru Williams and the Racial Justice Initiative team to achieve specific learning objectives and overall organizational goals related to diversity and racial justice. Dr. Williams immerses himself in your organization's history, industry, and mission to inform and tailor his work.
Professional Development
Dr. Williams can provide professional development courses to corporations, non-profit organizations, schools, and 黑社区 groups. These presentations address current events related to racial justice, historical moments and events, and more.
American Black History Education
Educational speaking events on Black History in the United States are given by Dr. Williams, who is a nationally-acclaimed historian with over 30 years of experience in education. These events are certain to inspire, engage, and educate all audiences.