![\"Robert](\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/marcom\/html-emails\/common\/rabsig.gif\")
\nRobert A. Brown
\nPresident<\/p>\n
September 29, 2020<\/p>\n
Dear Members of the Boston University Community,<\/p>\n
Over the past several days, the University has taken additional steps to make good on our pledge to promote antiracism and ensure that our community is a place of diversity and equity, and one where all students, faculty, and staff feel welcome and fully participatory. As witnessed by the continuing acts of injustice and racial hostility across the country this summer, the sense of urgency and need to align the University with just and moral principles has never been greater.<\/p>\n
To that end, I am pleased to announce the establishment of two groups that will be in the forefront of the University\u2019s ongoing efforts to promote antiracism and a safe, diverse, and inclusive community.<\/p>\n
In the first, the BU Board of Trustees last week voted to establish a Diversity & Inclusion Committee whose chairperson will also be a member of the Board\u2019s Executive Committee. This new committee will ensure that issues of diversity, inclusion, and antiracism are prominent at the highest level of the University\u2019s governance structure, adding importance and accountability to our efforts. Next month, the Board will announce the committee\u2019s membership and specific charter, and I will share that with you.<\/p>\n
Simultaneously, I have created the Antiracism Working Group (AWG), which will be a permanent committee, chaired by Andrea L. Taylor, the University\u2019s new Senior Diversity Officer. Reporting to the President, the AWG is responsible for examining our institution\u2019s racial climate, biases, and progress, and identifying best practices to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. The AWG\u2019s first meeting, to be held in October, will focus on developing a work plan for the remainder of the year. Over time, I expect the Working Group to study all the major units of the University and to interact with student, staff, and faculty organizations across the University, as well as with the Boston University Alumni Council and the Black Alumni Leadership Council. It will also have considerable interaction with the Trustee Diversity & Inclusion Committee. I have attached the AWG\u2019s membership for your information.<\/p>\n
As you know, we have taken other steps this year to advance our antiracist, diversity, and inclusion efforts; this summer\u2019s appointment of Ms. Taylor, Crystal Williams\u2019 recent promotion to Vice President and Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion, June\u2019s Day of Collective Engagement, the creation of the Community Safety Advisory Committee, and the appointment in July of Professor Ibram X. Kendi to found BU\u2019s new Center for Antiracist Research. These are all important steps.<\/p>\n
I also want to applaud all those members of the BU community who have raised their voices to express support for these important efforts. While institutional steps are critically important in the struggle for equality, your activism and civic demands for justice are indispensable, too. Systemic racism and bias remain ruinously engrained in our society, and it is up to us, both institutionally and individually, to end it.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
\nRobert A. Brown
\nPresident<\/p>\n
Boston University Antiracism Working Group<\/strong><\/p>\n Andrea L. Taylor, Chair<\/em> Kecia Ali Craig S. Andrade Evan Apfelbaum Judith Austin Steve Burgay Stephanie M. Curenton Kenneth Elmore Kenneth Freeman Carrie Landa Karen J. Pita Loor Luz M. L\u00f3pez, Representative of Faculty Council<\/em> Christine W. McGuire Maureen A. O\u2019Rourke Hee-Young Park Tracy Schroeder Linda Sprague Martinez Crystal Williams September 29, 2020 Dear Members of the Boston University Community, Over the past several days, the University has taken additional steps to make good on our pledge to promote antiracism and ensure that our community is a place of diversity and equity, and one where all students, faculty, and staff feel welcome and fully participatory. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10779,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1436"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1438,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions\/1438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/brown\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSenior Diversity Officer<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Religion
\nCollege of Arts & Sciences<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Dean for Practice
\nActivist Lab Director
\nSchool of Public Health<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Professor, Management & Organizations
\nQuestrom School of Business<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Professor, Advertising
\nCollege of Communication<\/p>\n
\nSenior Vice President, External Affairs<\/p>\n
\nExecutive Director, Center on the Ecology of Early Development
\nAssociate Professor, Education Leadership & Policy Studies
\nand Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development
\nWheelock College of Education & Human Development<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Provost and Dean of Students<\/p>\n
\nVice President ad interim, Human Resources
\nProfessor of the Practice<\/p>\n
\nDirector, Behavioral Medicine
\nAssociate Director, Clinical Services
\nStudent Health Services<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Dean for Experiential Education
\nClinical Associate Professor of Law
\nSchool of Law<\/p>\n
\nClinical Professor
\nAssociate Director, Dual Degree Program in Social Work & Public Health
\nGlobal Health Core Director, Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health
\nSchool of Social Work<\/p>\n
\nVice President and Associate Provost
\nEnrollment & Student Administration<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Provost for Faculty Affairs
\nDean Emerita & Professor of Law<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Dean, Faculty Affairs
\nProfessor and Chair, Department of Medical Sciences & Education
\nSchool of Medicine<\/p>\n
\nVice President for Information Services & Technology and Chief Data Officer<\/p>\n
\nChair of Macro Practice & Associate Professor
\nSchool of Social Work<\/p>\n
\nVice President and Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion
\nProfessor of English<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"