An Update on Racial Justice Initiatives at Brooklyn College
August 30, 2021
Dear Brooklyn College colleagues,
On behalf of the Implementation Team for Racial Justice (ITRJ), we would like to welcome you to the 2021-2022 academic year. Higher education in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be unpredictable. No matter how conditions change, however, we will remain focused on enhancing racial justice and equity on our campus. While most of the team was on hiatus, we write to update you on some of the work last summer that advanced our goals.
Faculty Lines
We are pleased that over the summer the college approved the hiring of tenure-track faculty in both the Africana Studies and Puerto Rican and Latino Studies departments. Those lines have now been approved by the CUNY Vacancy Review Board, so they are proceeding this semester.
The provost also announced that, across all faculty hiring in the coming year, the college will prioritize candidates engaged in research and writing on race, ethnicity, or racial justice. We strongly urge academic departments and faculty hiring committees active this semester to use their hiring opportunities to increase faculty diversity.
Outside Consultant on Racial Justice
Last year, the Brooklyn College Faculty Council passed a resolution supporting the hiring of an outside consultant to advance racial justice on campus. Over the summer, a subcommittee of representatives from the ITRJ and the Anti-Racist Coalition developed a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultants to enhance the diversity, inclusion, and racial justice work on campus. The subcommittee is now finalizing the RFP, and the college plans to publish it this fall to hire an outside consultant.
Equity and Fairness Measurement
Our colleagues Tammie Cumming and Isana Leshchinskaya in the Brooklyn College Office of Institutional Effectiveness have developed an instrument to evaluate post-secondary institutionalization of equity and fairness with Professor M. David Miller at the University of Florida and Dr. Jennifer Bergeron at Harvard University. Over the summer, after consulting with members of the ITRJ, as well as leaders at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, they worked to refine the instrument. The research team will use the instrument to launch a pilot survey of the institutionalization of equity and fairness at Brooklyn College shortly, with the goal of developing a national survey and enhancing the broader conversation on diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
Strategic Plan for CUNY Public Safety
Over the summer, the CUNY Chancellor announced the development of a three-year Strategic Plan for University Public Safety, one that is responsive to and reflective of the communities CUNY serves. The chancellor appointed President Anderson to the University's strategic planning committee, which met over the summer. We hope that the representation of Brooklyn College on this important committee will help ensure that our most urgent concerns about equity and justice in public safety are heard University-wide.
Public Safety Officer Training
Over the summer, the Office of Equity and Diversity Programs, the Center for Student Disability Services, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, and Personal Counseling collaborated on training for our campus security and public safety officers. Topics of training included preventing disparate treatment at campus entry points, deescalating altercations related to anxiety, recognizing and addressing stress in the officers themselves, supporting students with disabilities with respect and accessibility, and understanding COVID-19 precautions, rules, and vaccines. The team is now collaborating to offer a similar training for our custodial staff.
Gratitude for Essential Workers
There are key members of the Brooklyn College community who have maintained a physical presence on campus over the summer and throughout the pandemic. Our essential workers have remained onsite to make sure that our facilities are safe, clean, and well-maintained. We want to take this time to say a special THANK YOU to the essential workers at Brooklyn College for their sacrifice, strength, and commitment to the college over the last 18 months. Chief among our essential workers are custodians, food pantry workers, and public safety officers—groups who are disproportionately people of color. As you return to campus, please thank an essential worker!
We are excited to continue the work of the ITRJ this year. Please keep the feedback coming. You can e-mail us at ITRJ@brooklyn.cuny.edu or use our anonymous Community Feedback Form. Please don’t forget: For the safety of our community, we encourage everyone at the college to get vaccinated.
Sincerely,
Anthony Brown, Ron Jackson, and James Lynch
on behalf of the Implementation Team for Racial Justice
