Racial Justice in the Public Liberal Arts
Higher education institutions across the United States are engaging with the Black Lives Matter movement and taking action to create more equitable campuses for Black and brown students. As high-quality, public liberal arts institutions, many COPLAC campuses are taking a close look at how they can identify and dismantle systemic racism in all of its forms at their institutions.
We are compiling recent pieces by COPLAC thought leaders, ways members are taking action, and resources for our community to continue to learn from and potentially adapt on their campuses and will continue to add to the list below.
Conversations
COPLAC thought leaders share their experiences with systemic racism and insights on how we can confront oppression.
- Black Lives Matter: a Humanitarian Issue
- Reflections on police, justice and Minneapolis
- USAO’S Fischer Center Sees Golden Opportunity to Improve Society Despite Seemingly Dark Times
- In the Face of the Pandemic, Protests, and Possibilities – Remember B.R.E.D.S. Matter
Taking Action
From establishing scholarships to organizing protests to renaming buildings, here are some examples of how COPLAC institutions are taking action to address systemic racism and make their campuses more welcoming to Black and brown students, faculty, and staff.
- Memorializing George Floyd: UMW Board Passes Resolution, President Seeds Scholarship
- UMW announces creation of “Police Community Advisory Panel”
- MSU Texas’s Response to Black Student Leaders
- Shepherd Opens New Diversity Office
- St. Mary’s Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland
- USAO’s Center for Social Justice and Racial Healing
Resources
In an effort to educate communities, COPLAC campuses are compiling readings, trainings, and other resources to combat anti-black racism and promote equity through all areas of campus.
This is an ongoing resource page that we encourage COPLAC campuses to contribute additional content to by contacting info@coplac.org.
Are you a Chief Diversity Officer on a COPLAC campus? Reach out to info@coplac.org to join our online community.
