In this special edition of ACTION, we’ve asked six student leaders, all students of color, to share their thoughts on a handful of key questions. We’ve encouraged them to be candid, and they were. We took their words to heart and are privileged to present them here.”
It was in those dark days of May 2020 following the murder of George Floyd that a number of BSU students had an impromptu meeting with President Clark in the Boyden Hall parking lot. Spurred by a renewed racial justice movement, the students voiced the need for change.
President Clark listened and acted. The result was the establishment of the Special Presidential Task Force on Racial Justice. A large group of students, faculty, administrators and other stakeholders came together and worked for several months to identify problems on campus related to racial justice and equity, and to develop a list of recommendations to address them. In May 2021, the report, featuring 73 recommendations, was released. Since then, progress has been made on some fronts. Other recommendations remain works in progress. However, the true measure of the efforts underway must be judged by our students, for they are the ones who are ultimately affected by our successes and failures when it comes to racial justice and equity. In this special edition of ACTION, we’ve asked six student leaders, all students of color, to share their thoughts on a handful of key questions. We’ve encouraged them to be candid, and they were.
We took their words to heart and are privileged to present them here. We hope you will read about the experiences of these students, reflect upon their words, and continue the work of improving racial justice and equity at Bridgewater State University and beyond.
Karim Ismaili, PhD
Executive Vice President and Provost