A living archive of JEDI curriculum reform in graduate STEMM education

Educational reform has become an important response to intersecting sociopolitical pressures, not only in the broader field of education but also in graduate education in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM), where systemic equity, inclusive training environments, and community belonging have become central goals. Within this broader reform landscape, this perspective article traces the evolution of GRAD 210: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Academic Leadership, a graduate-level elective course for learners across basic and social science disciplines at an Academic Health Center. Developed in relation to student advocacy and broader movements for racial and social justice since the summer of 2020, GRAD 210 has become a living archive documenting how students engage questions of JEDI within shifting political and institutional contexts. We characterize three phases of the curriculum's evolution: (1) 2021–2023: naming harm, building solidarity; (2) 2024: Shifting from DEI to JEDI as a framework; (3) 2025: building infrastructure for justice through sustained, systems-level interventions. Across these phases, we show that student knowledge is historically situated, politically responsive, and strategically generative. We argue that the current moment is not only a period of political contestation but also an opportunity to reflect on how curriculum reform efforts emerge, adapt, and persist. Looking forward, this perspective suggests that future STEMM graduate education reform should prioritize historically grounded curricula that center community care, transformative action, and relational practices for holding difficult conversations while recognizing the different risks people carry.