Like many across the country, members of the University of Memphis community were saddened and outraged by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others. These tragic deaths and the ensuing civil unrest, compounded by the impact of the COVID crisis, shined a spotlight on systemic racism that continues to inflict trauma and violence on communities of color. In June 2020, UofM President M. David Rudd announced in an email to the campus community a reform and change initiative designed to target the Eradication of Systemic Racism and Promotion of Social Justice within the University and larger community. In this briefing, Cory Major, who served as co-lead of the Closing Gaps Workgroup, provides an overview of the initiative and how it involved and impacted all major levels of university programming, alumni, and community engagement.