What We Do
Our mission at the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of Louisville is to advance the work, study and practice of peacemaking, social justice and violence prevention through the development of innovative educational programs, training, service and research.
Our Education Initiatives
Our education programs focus on the teaching of peace, conflict resolution, intercultural and interfaith dialogue and the exploring the physical, emotional, environmental, economic and cultural manifestations of violence. Programs include:
SeeRedNow- SeeRedNow is an initiative of the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of Louisville designed to change the dialogue about violence, encourage a deeper understanding of the underlying social injustices that are at the root of violence and inspire people to act for change.
The Ali Scholars—The Ali Scholars program is a unique two-year educational experience combining training, research and service in the areas of violence prevention and peacemaking in an urban living context. A special emphasis is placed on understanding and addressing the social conditions that impact those issues. Through the Ali Scholars program, students acquire both the intellectual and practical training to take action and leadership on issues of peace, violence prevention and social justice.
In addition to its undergraduate Ali Scholars, the University of Louisville program includes an Ali Faculty Research Scholar and an Ali Street Scholar. The Ali Street Scholar is a Louisville resident, aged 18-25, who is not a UofL student and has demonstrated significant commitment to social justice issues. Through its Partnership for Peace and Justice Initiative, the Ali Institute is collaborating with other universities internationally to establish International Ali Scholars Programs.
Campus Programs—Peace and Justice Week, Ali in Focus and our Brown Bag Lunch Series are on-campus programs designed to educate and inspire action around violence prevention, peace and justice.
World Changer in Residence—Periodically, the Ali Institute invites a renowned educator/activist to bring his/her expertise, energy and unique perspective to our campus and community initiatives.
Our Training Initiatives
We offer a number of training programs focusing on practical, solution-based strategies to peacemaking and social justice. These include:
Urban Peacebuilding Teams—The Urban Peacemaker Teams program involves the Ali Institute in training and resourcing teams of concerned citizens from urban communities across the country and around the world who seek the skills and the know-how to be advocates for peace in their city. The Institute supports and continues to resource these teams as they begin the work of mobilizing their community, creating strategies for systemic change, and putting these strategies into action.
As a part of this program, the Ali Institute also offers peacemaking training that is specifically geared to those living and working in urban communities. Participants learn a framework and the skills for placing peacemaking at the center of the urban community.
Citizenship Training Academy—The Citizenship Training Academy is a new initiative designed to prepare University of Louisville students for civic engagement and principled leadership both on campus and in the larger community, The Citizenship Training Academy represents an extension of the Muhammad Ali Institute’s commitment to train young people to get involved in campus and civic affairs, advocate for peace and justice and to incorporate that training in their daily lives.
Our Service Initiatives
We assist learners and practitioners in applying conflict resolution and peacemaking skills to communities, schools, businesses, nonprofits and organizations. Our programs include:
Just Act! Days—Just Act! Days are organized yearly to connect theory and practice as students learn about the work of local peace and justice organizations and then spend the day volunteering with one of the agencies to experience justice in action.
Catalyst for Social Change—When presented with an expressed social justice need, the Ali Institute works with concerned community members to develop practical solutions by linking partners, opportunities and resources. The Institute assists in visioning, designing and coordinating creative strategies for social change.
The first Catalyst for Social Change initiative, Urban Fresh–a unique partnership in Louisville between the Ali Institute, the Community Farm Alliance and the 700 Committee designed to address the economic challenges of our urban and rural communities--is a compelling approach to combat the social injustices that under-gird violence in our city. A business owned and operated by young people, Urban Fresh will process and deliver orders of locally grown fresh food to the homes of its customers and area restaurants and assist in running a local farmers’ market. Through Urban Fresh, everyone wins. Young people make an honorable living that will help heal their lives and their communities; citizens in our urban neighborhoods gain access to affordable healthy food; and local family farmers develop new markets for their products.
Our Research Initiatives
The Muhammad Ali Institute supports research that advances understanding of the origins and impact of violence in our world. Our research is geared to supporting peacemaking, social justice and conflict resolution. We support:
The Ali Faculty Research Scholar—The Ali Faculty Research Scholar is a member of the University of Louisville faculty who is engaged in research and teaching in violence prevention, peacemaking and/or social justice. The faculty scholar provides leadership for the research component of the Ali Scholars Program, travels internationally with the program and is supported by the Institute in his/her scholarly work.
