This is a content holder for the one button emergency notification system.

Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice

A Catalyst for Social Justice

The mission of the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice is to build knowledge about social justice, to develop skills for advancing social justice through individual and collective action, and to serve as a catalyst for actualizing Bridgewater State University’s commitment to social justice.

At BSU, we believe that social justice requires individual and collective action to ensure fairness in pursuit of opportunities, freedom from oppression and the equitable distribution of resources. Fairness, freedom from oppression and equitable distribution of resources are all grounded in the same basic principle: that all human beings have equal dignity and worth.

The Institute for Social Justice was established in 2011 and renamed in honor of Martin Richard in 2015. Eight year old Martin was one of three people killed, while hundreds of others were injured, by bombs at the Boston Marathon in 2013. Martin’s parents, Bill and Denise Richard, are BSU alumni.

Featured Opportunities

Current BSU Students are invited to join us for a large scale service project on Saturday, April 22 from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at Sharing the Harvest community farm in celebration of Earth Day. Transportation and lunch will be provided.

Volunteers will work on the farm to plant produce and prepare the fields for harvest. All the food that is produced on the farm is provided to local anti-hunger networks to serve individuals experiencing food insecurity.

Our latest Civic Speaker Series event will discuss reparations and how they can be a tool to help communities move forward on a path toward justice.

Kyle Bennett & Dwayne Keys will share their experiences serving on the Providence Municipal Reparations Commission. They will present how the Commission approached its work, engaged the community, and how its recommendations close the racial wealth and equity gap.

If you’ve wondered about reparations and how citizen groups can work through these complex decisions, please join us on April 4th!

The MRISJ thanks Santander Bank for its generous support of the Civic Speaker Series.

Our Programs

The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice encourages members of the Bridgewater State University community to become life-long engaged citizens in our local, regional, national and global communities through serving their community.
At Bridgewater State University, students from all major programs and concentrations make a yearlong commitment to become Jumpstart Corps members and provide services to children in the under-served communities of Brockton.

MRISJ Justice Fellows are undergraduate students, hired as BSU student employees, and work 10 hours per week throughout the academic year. Fellows are paired with a nonprofit organization or campus-based initiative. 

Virtual Tour Stop — Martin Richard Statue

Launch Martin Richard’s Legacy

Student & Faculty Resources

General Community Resources

We have compiled a variety of useful resources available to anyone looking for help.

See all additional resources »

Featured News

Featured News

More Social Justice News »
Social Justice
Honoring MLK

Campus to host service projects to commemorate MLK holiday

Social Justice
A Home for Social Justice
Martin Richard Institute to occupy newly renovated Summer Street building
Social Justice
Art and Activism
Campus events encourage students to get involved now, not later
Martin Richard Institute of Social Justice
BSU volunteers pack up boxes of food for those in need
Inspired to Act
Campus volunteers mark 9/11 anniversary by serving some of the region’s neediest

Contact Us

Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice

161 Summer Street
Bridgewater, MA 02325
United States