Activation Plan

Below is an overview of some campus activities: 

Howard University advances civic engagement through journalism, public policy, civil rights advocacy, constitutional education, and public dialogue. The following initiatives reflect the University’s commitment to an informed and engaged citizenry and a more equitable democracy.

1. Center for Journalism and Democracy
   The Center strengthens investigative journalism as an essential tool for a racially equitable and just democracy. Grounded in the traditions of the Black press, it prepares journalists to produce rigorous, pro-democracy reporting. Public events, educational resources, and collaborative reporting projects inform public discourse and elevate journalism’s role in democratic life.

2. Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center
   The Walters Center advances research, public dialogue, and leadership development focused on African American participation in the political process and national and foreign policy. In partnership with the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the Center examines voter suppression, monitors barriers at the polls, and tracks Black voter turnout and voting patterns with support from community-based teams.

3. Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center
   The Center advances civil rights, human rights, and racial justice through the study and practice of law and advocacy. Bringing together movement lawyering, critical race theory scholarship, and community organizing, it provides litigation support and policy research, convenes dialogue on emerging civil rights issues, and supports grassroots efforts to address structural racism and drive social change.

4. 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy
   The Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and preserving the democratic vision and values of the Fourteenth Amendment. Through community education and collaboration among law students, advocates, activists, business leaders, artists, and the broader public, it encourages participants to see themselves as active contributors to the next chapter of American democracy.

5. Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy Lecture Series
   The King Lecture Series brings prominent leaders to Howard for dialogue on government, public policy, and public service. It engages the campus community with perspectives on consequential civic issues. Previous chairs include civil rights attorney Elaine R. Jones, former FBI director James B. Comey, political strategist Donna Brazile, and the late U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings.