Edward Curtis
William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts & Professor of Religious StudiesReligious Studies
ude[dot]iupui[at]4sitruce
Preventing Racial and Religious Discrimination and Violence
As IUPUI's Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts, Edward Curtis is committed to working with community partners to find new solutions to old problems. Since arriving in Indianapolis in 2005, he has been awarded almost $1 million in external humanities grants for his work. Curtis partners with African American, Muslim American, and Arab American people and institutions in central Indiana to reduce anti-Black, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic prejudice and discrimination in our community. He translates research into practice by amplifying Black, Muslim, and Arab community-based solutions to the discrimination through projects like a community competition to prevent Islamophobia, summer seminars for K-12 teachers, the Arab Indianapolis community history project, and a Luce-funded project to prevent discrimination against Africana religions. In 2018, Curtis was awarded the Joseph T. Taylor Award for Excellence in Diversity, IUPUI's highest award for advancing its vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion.