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A Community of Trust: The Racial Justice Initiative at ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø

The Racial Justice Initiative is a year-long series of projects that seek to address the realities of racial injustice locally, nationally and globally, from the ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø campus to Saratoga Springs and beyond. Our goal is to build upon the work that has been done in the past, to pursue new avenues and address today’s concerns, and to channel our energies toward building an inclusive and welcoming future at ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø.

To create the community of trust that is the real goal of diversity, equity and inclusion work, we are all tasked to listen and respond to one another with kindness, honesty and respect. The most valuable part of ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø is our people, and this initiative belongs to all of us.

This is ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø’s highest institutional priority, and every member of the community is invited to join and support this effort.

 

September 1, 2020

Dear ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø Community:

On July 1, my first day as ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø’s eighth president, I announced a presidential initiative focused on race and justice. I write to announce the specific projects and activities that will constitute the first year of this initiative. As I stated on July 1, the United States is engaged in a time of reckoning and a warrant for taking decisive action toward actively combating racism and proudly asserting the indisputable value of Black lives. ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø will embrace this opportunity to confront elements of our past and present where we have fallen short of our ideals, and to chart a course for the future that will see us continue to build the structures, skills and experiences that forge and sustain a community of trust, which is the real goal of all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work.

For the past eight weeks, I have met and conversed with students, staff, faculty and community members about this initiative, seeking to hear and understand the most effective and meaningful steps the College can take toward these important goals. I have sought to understand and affirm the valuable work many have undertaken over the years; to learn about missteps and conflicts in our past that continue to trouble us today; and to share the aspirations and goals that hold the most promise for our future. I recognize that there are many voices yet to be heard, reports to be dusted off and perused, and challenging moments to be revisited, all of which will be part of our shared ongoing work. A primary consideration for us is, what steps are particularly appropriate for ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø as an institution of higher education, as a great liberal arts college, in this effort? What are we especially poised to undertake and achieve, and what can be our unique contributions to this centuries-old demand of establishing justice for all in this nation? 

We take on this work in the context of a global pandemic that has altered every part of our social fabric and that presents enormous challenges to all the ways a college functions. And yet, this presents a unique opportunity for entering into this work. Our connectivity and mutual dependence on each other have never been more apparent, nor have the terrible disparity in the U.S. for people of color and the stark inequities faced by many at this time. We — ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø, Saratoga Springs, indeed the entire country — face a time of trial, and it is up to us how we will respond.

This initiative is not a mere list of action items. The following 12 projects are grouped into three main sections, and all of them are intended to be accomplished in the coming academic year. The initiative hardly ends there — the final step at year’s end will be to review and renew our efforts for the following year, as this work is always ongoing. Progress in the efforts of race and justice — like progress in our own hearts and souls — will always remain as an aspiration and effort. The initiative also provides significant additional resources for this work. I am committing funding from the Presidential Discretionary Fund for these projects for the coming year. In addition, we have just received a significant gift from a generous friend of the College specifically to support the Racial Justice Initiative and DEI work more generally, which includes a challenge and matching grant for the same purpose. This is a substantial institutional commitment during a time of significant financial pressure for the College, indicating our top prioritizing of this strategic initiative.

It is important to note that the work of a Racial Justice Initiative clearly overlaps with the larger work of diversity, equity and inclusion. This initiative is hardly a substitute for all the other projects, goals, aspirations and commitments we have to DEI work more generally. We can and will sustain our work in all these areas, and this is not a zero-sum game: progress and achievement in one area of DEI means progress in all areas, and we advance the causes of our entire community when we commit to the specific project of race and justice. And the more this initiative can overlap with and learn from our other efforts in DEI, the stronger and more trusting our entire community can become. (For example, we remain especially committed to recruiting individuals from historically underrepresented communities to join our staff, faculty and student body, and to doing all we can to help everyone in our community thrive and make their long-term home at ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø.)

In closing, let me say once again how honored and humbled I am to be entering into this work with all of you, the entire ÈýÒÚÌåÓý¹ÙÍø community. Yes, there are challenges in our community and in our history, and yes, we will face challenges in the future