Colleen,
I want to thank you for this important piece. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/21/scholars-talk-about-being-black-campus-2020
I have shared with our UK College of Education faculty, all of our university’s deans, VP of Diversity, Provost and President.
We are committed to this work at the UK College of Education.
One third of the faculty we hired last year were Black and 2/3 were people of color. Faculty hiring: https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/blog-new-uk-college-education-faculty-bridge-divides-vulnerable-and-underserved
Diversity and excellence are hand in hand: https://education.uky.edu/uk-college-of-education-online-programs-rank-among-top-in-nation/ and https://education.uky.edu/college-of-education-graduate-programs-rise-in-rankings/
University of Kentucky Civil Rights Initiative Announcement: http://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/uk-launches-civil-rights-and-education-initiative-naacp
Washington Post Coverage of Civil Rights Initiative: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/08/06/naacp-launches-new-civil-rights-education-initiative-with-university-kentucky/
Local TV News Coverage of Civil Rights Initiative: https://www.wkyt.com/2020/08/13/the-breakdown-with-julian-vasquez-heilig-uk-college-of-education-dean/
COVID-19 and Race Webinar: https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/national-experts-join-uk-college-education-discussion-race-and-covid-19
Navigating Your Teens in Breonna Taylor’s America Webinar: https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-happenings/uk-college-education-hosts-navigating-your-teens-breonna-taylor-s-america
I’d also like to put the Education Deans for Justice and Equity on your radar. A nationwide alliance of current and former education deans, and directors/chairs of education in institutions that do not have deans, established in Spring 2016 that aims to speak and act collectively regarding current policies, reforms, and public debates in order to advance equity and justice in education. I am honored to serve on the Steering Committee and submit that the organization is doing more than many to foment a climate conducive to faculty of color success in higher education.
There is much more work to do, and no doubt, there will be more challenges ahead, but I am convinced that we will refuse to allow adversity to stop us from pressing forward and making an unmistakable and lasting impact.
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