Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College

Social justice leadership is at the heart of a Kalamazoo College experience.

It traces back to the mid-1880s when “K” leaders James and Lucinda Stone embraced educational opportunities for women and welcomed anti-slavery activists such as Frederick Douglass and Ralph Waldo Emerson into their home and classrooms.

It’s evident in the diverse, inclusive student body that models social justice in the many student organizations that they lead. It runs through the ranks of “K” faculty and staff members who embed its tenets in coursework, service-learning programs, and other experiential programs at home and abroad. It’s embodied in the lives of countless “K” alumni and College partners who work in social justice leadership positions around the world, and who network with current “K” students, faculty, and staff, on many levels.

Kalamazoo’s long commitment to social justice and leadership development is most evident in our new Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, made possible through a generous endowment grant from the Arcus Foundation.

Through the ACSJL, Kalamazoo College will develop leaders who will engage in civil rights, human rights, and social justice leadership work here in our community and around the world.