Development of a new set of programs focusing on the history of race, racism and colonialism in the United States, designed to ensure understanding of how inherited social and historical forces have shaped our society today, and how they affect interactions inside and outside of our classrooms, laboratories and studios. All faculty would be expected to participate in this programming and follow-on discussions in their departments. The programs would complement our existing anti-bias programs for faculty, such as those from the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity, the Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble, Intergroup Dialogue Programs for Faculty, and the Faculty Institute for Diversity.
Demand M3: Create benchmarks for departments to follow through on President Pollack’s call, issued earlier this summer, to “embed anti-racism” in the full spectrum of Cornell activities.
As Pollack noted, “At the core of our institution lies our primary mission to provide an exceptional education, cutting-edge research and public engagement to shape our world for generations to come, and we must embed anti-racism across these activities.” Pollack further called for,
A systematic review of the curriculum in each of our colleges and schools to ensure that courses reflect, represent and include the contributions of all people. Several colleges/schools and departments already have this work underway. (“Additional actions to create a more just and equitable Cornell” July 16, 2020)
We need an action plan from departments and the Faculty Senate about how this process is to be implemented. (We propose additional considerations in “Curriculum” below.) We can and must honor academic freedom and disciplinary authority without allowing such principles to serve as mechanisms for perpetuating structural racism, exclusion, and relations of inequality. We need a curricular review process that eschews bureaucracy and that seeks to remain open, honest and democratic.
