Joe Grengs

Chair of Urban and Regional Planning

Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning

A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning

Being your best DEI self: Think of a time when you were at your best at advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. What happened? Who was there? Why did you feel at your best?

Working with students to create an annual event for the MLK Symposium. We were highly committed to collaborate among ourselves and with community partners, in rare circumstances where both we and our partners were operating in truly diverse settings.

Wishes for the future: How would you imagine your environment needing to be for you to feel that you don’t have to do DEI work anymore?

This surely isn’t the full answer, but I wish for cities that are built and run by and for diverse people who value coming together to learn from their differences, even when it’s a struggle.

What does it mean to you to be a recipient of the MLK Spirit Awards?

I’m immensely honored, but also feeling a little sheepish because I see myself as mostly facilitating the great work of students, and it’s my job to advance social justice.