The SMWC Diversity Council shares in the grief of deadly violence and racial inequality against Black Americans. The death of George Floyd and the historic problem of unequal justice represents genuine frustration and pain over decades of racial bias across the country in our communities and in the criminal justice system. Our nation still struggles with discussing the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow laws. However, we must have the courage to engage in uncomfortable conversations about race and bias.
The Diversity Council challenges and encourages our community to participate in honest, respectful dialogue that leads to self-reflection and embraces the value of every individual. As an institution, we have a responsibility to our students to broaden perspectives, to interrupt habituated modes of thinking and to recognize and respect differences along with commonly shared humanity.
While the expression of grief alone will not change hearts or minds, it can catapult us to peaceful and sustained action. We are committed to the actions that are already underway on campus. The SMWC Diversity Council conducted a climate study of the attitudes of our students last fall with the plan of redistributing it to faculty and staff in the spring. Due to COVID-19, we will survey the entire campus community this fall, instead. This data will reveal perceptions of the institution’s climate, perceptions of how the institution supports diversity and equity and reveal any experiences with discrimination and harassment. With the data collected in 2019, the Council is seeking diversity, equity and inclusion training for the campus community and workshops on managing difficult conversations. In addition, a diversity initiative is being developed as part of The Aspire Higher Strategic Plan.
We encourage you to continue to embrace the values and commitment to social justice that puts our faith into action as laid out in the SMWC values and statement of diversity.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Below are a few resources to help us eliminate silence.
- Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus
- Talking About Race
- Books About Race
- Combatting Racism: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Promote Racial Justice In The Workplace
We welcome you to contact any member of the Diversity Council with questions or concerns.
Diversity Council Members
- Sharon Boyle
- Susan Dolle
- Aimee Janssen-Robinson
- Mike King
- Chris Lozier
- Debra Powell
- Dee Reed
- Wendy Walter
- Elaine Yaw