Upcoming Listening Sessions on our Anti-Racist Agenda
September 9, 2020
Dear Brooklyn College community,
Over the summer, President Anderson launched an Anti-Racist Agenda to address racism at the College and enhance the experience of our students, staff, and faculty of color. We were appointed to facilitate a new Implementation Team for Racial Justice to carry out the agenda. Since then, we have benefitted from many conversations with our colleagues across the campus. We are developing a webpage to highlight the work and keep you informed about our progress, which we will share soon. It will include an anonymous feedback form to capture voices across the Brooklyn College community on matters of concern.
Over the summer, we hosted a couple of listening sessions about racial justice on campus, and, based on feedback, there is a need for more. We are hosting a series of listening sessions this fall with each focused on the needs of staff, students, and faculty. Although many issues overlap across the groups, we have found that each also has interests that are specific to it, which we want to ensure we elicit and address. In order to accommodate everyone’s varying schedules, each focus group will be held twice: once at noon and once at 6 p.m. We hope this strategy will maximize input and allow for a more diverse range of voices to participate. Please mark your calendars accordingly:
Wednesday, September 16, Staff Issues Around Racial Justice
- Noon-1 p.m. - Register for the Zoom Session
- 6-7 p.m. - Register for the Zoom Session
Wednesday, September 23, Student Issues Around Racial Justice
- Noon-1 p.m. - Register for the Zoom Session
- 6-7 p.m. - Register for the Zoom Session
Wednesday, September 30, Faculty Issues Around Racial Justice
- Noon-1 p.m. - Register for the Zoom Session
- 6-7 p.m. - Register for the Zoom Session
We are happy to announce a few relevant developments that have also occurred at the College. To build community and foster dialog, the faculty committee chose the New York Times’ “The 1619 Project” as the Common Reader this year. This Pulitzer-Prize winning series aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of our national narrative. The initiative and the debates it has sparked are rich for exploration this fall.
Throughout the pandemic, mental health has remained at the forefront of our students’ needs. In our Personal Counseling Services department, we have been able to enhance the diversity of our counseling staff to better represent our student body. Students can make an appointment for free, confidential counseling services by sending an e-mail or calling 718.951.5363.
This summer, two-time Academy Award nominee Richard Gladstein joined us as the new Executive Director of the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College. He has brought great energy and enthusiasm to the film school, beginning with a Zoom seminar for students with acclaimed writer, producer, director, and entertainment executive Reginald Hudlin. Gladstein has also greatly diversified the Cinema School’s Advisory Council with notable producers and directors who will provide valuable student support through counsel, mentorship, seminars, recruitment, and internships. Look for announcements from the College about these exceptional new Feirstein Advisors over the course of the next week.
Throughout the coming year, we look forward to sharing the progress Brooklyn College makes on our Anti-Racist Agenda. We hope to see you at one of the upcoming listening sessions and to receive your feedback online. Be safe, and cheers for a successful semester.
Yours truly,
Vice President for Student Affairs Ron Jackson and
Chief Diversity Officer Anthony Brown
