Comparative Human Relations Initiative

The Comparative Human Relations Initiative (CHRI), is "a unique collaboration among people and institutions in Brazil, South Africa, and the United States for exchanging information, ideas, and strategies to overcome discrimination and inequality."

"The Comparative Human Relations Initiative began in late 1995 as a project of the Southern Education Foundation. CHRI held a series of informal meetings in Atlanta at which leading scholars, activists, and policy analysts discussed race, racism, and inequality in the United States, South Africa and Brazil. Soon afterwards, CHRI director Lynn Huntley traveled to each country consulting with a wide cross-section of people and organizations.

"By the summer 1996, CHRI established a working collaboration with the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa) and an informal coalition of groups and individuals in Brazil. The Initiative also created an International Working and Advisory Group, (IWAG), comprised of distinguished men and women from the three nations. The IWAG helped to guide the Initiative and participates fully in all of its activities. The group’s first meeting was in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, in October 1996.

"After undertaking a survey of existing literature, CHRI commissioned a large number of topical and comparative papers from each country. These papers were used in developing CHRI’s reports and related publications.

"The Initiative involved several hundred scholars, activists, government officials, community leaders, and private sector representatives in consultations in Atlanta (April 1997), Rio de Janeiro (September 1997), and Cape Town (March 1998). The IWAG met in October 1998 to develop its own consensus and to sharpen its collective understanding. In 1999, through a small staff and a handful of consultants, the Initiative developed final versions of the Initiative’s Publications which are available on this site for downloading."

Funding
"Financial supporters of the Initiative include:
 * Ford Foundation
 * Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
 * Levi Strauss Foundation
 * Coca Cola Foundation
 * Rockefeller Brothers Fund

"Consultants, advisors, scholars, writers and friends included: Caetana Damasceno, Rebecca Reichmann, Michael Turner, Anthony Marx, Walter R. Huntley, Jr., Lisle Carter, Lawrence N. Jones, Joseph Harris, Pam Auchmutey, Howard Hunter, John Witte, Jr., Abdullahi An Na'im, Anani Dzidzenyio, George Fredrickson, Ruth Simms Hamilton, Milfred Fierce, Candace Lessa, Prescilla Kritz, Chris Peterson, Malaika Adero, John Egerton, Cynthia Lewis, David Cohen, Karen Press, Ellis Cose, Jonas Zoninsein, Bernard Anderson, Barbara Arnwine, and john a. powell."

International Working and Advisory Group
Source
 * Peter D. Bell
 * Ana Maria Brasileiro
 * Lynn Walker Huntley
 * Wilmot James
 * Shaun Johnson
 * Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
 * Edna Roland
 * Khehla Shubane
 * Ratnamala Singh
 * Gloria Steinem
 * Franklin A. Thomas
 * Thomas M. Uhlman

Contact

 * Web: http://www.beyondracism.org