Building Blocks to Community Peace

About this grant

In the U.S., the intersection of race and violence is greatest at the community level where racial and ethnic segregation and high concentrations of poverty are often precursors to crime and violence. The Institute for Community Peace believes that in order to prevent violence and sustain peace, communities must address societal structures and overall systems, particularly regarding race. This grant will enable Building Blocks to Community Peace, a project of the institute, to examine existing literature and programs to determine the extent to which a focus on primary violence prevention can be a basis for combating structural racism.Funding will support a comprehensive review of literature to identify research that has explored the connection between structural racism and violence; a survey of select programs that have focused on primary violence prevention and/or undoing racism at the community level to identify communities interested in addressing structural racism; site visits to five or six programs that have done exemplary work in primary violence prevention and/or structural racism; and consultations with experts in primary violence prevention, structural racism and public opinion to support the creation of a conceptual model.The institute is a national organization working to prevent violence and encourage peace as a means to achieve social justice. Its mission is to promote a safe, healthy and peaceful nation by mobilizing community resources and leadership.