Wesleyan faculty and staff commit to facilitate antiracism environment on campus

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Under the leadership of Faculty Council, Wesleyan's faculty will embark on a year of introspection and action to facilitate an antiracist environment at the College. The faculty kicked off these efforts with a workshop on August 12 led by Tyler Schwaller, assistant professor of religious studies and college chaplain. As Schwaller explains, "No one wants to be called racist, so that's a label that shuts down conversation. But even if we do not mean to be racist, we often carry racialized assumptions and stereotypes that affect our interactions. Instead of asking whether or not we are racist, it is more helpful to examine whether we are thinking and acting intentionally to disrupt the attitudes and behaviors that result in inequities based on race. That is antiracism."

Following up on this initial workshop, each faculty member is part of a circle of five or six who will meet regularly to continue learning together and discussing how to incorporate antiracism in their teaching. Circles will report on their progress at monthly faculty meetings. The intention of this process is to build trust and to encourage one another in the work of antiracism on a personal level, as well as to identify what institutional changes and supports might be necessary going forward. According to Schwaller, "The fall semester is about developing a shared commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, to prioritize this work as everyone's responsibility, not just a few people's. Then we will turn in the spring to evaluating what policies, procedures, and practices might help us better live out antiracist commitments as an institution."

During the month of August, Wesleyan faculty and staff engaged in online training on diversity and inclusion and managing bias. "We share in the responsibility to do our best to promote and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion and denounce and dismantle all forms of hate, discrimination, inequities and injustice. When we are conscious of how our own biases, beliefs, experiences, and world view affect our behavior, thoughts, and attitude, we are better positioned to self-assess and evaluate our reasoning, intentions, and actions," said Parker.

The Office of Student Affairs is in the process of reviewing the Honor Council and other policies to ensure there is a culture of transformative justice on campus. The President's Council for Equity and Inclusion and the Student Diversity and Inclusion Board will begin holding monthly meetings in September. The Civic Engagement taskforce will work with SGA to host convocations and Diversity and Inclusion Discussions (DID) leading up to the November election.

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