It is essential to invest time and resources to advance substantive change by dismantling the racist structures that frame the work within the College of Science & Engineering (CoSE). The scientific, psychological, and pedagogical expertise of the college is diminished by our failure to recognize and reject our own complicity in individual, cultural and institutional racism. Our CoSE Task Force for Antiracism, created in 2020, developed goals with accountability benchmarks to dismantle racist structures and ensure that CoSE steadfastly and successfully pursues the vision of institutionalizing an antiracism structure comprised of policies, practices, and commitment to execute the mission of creating an antiracist culture and building an inclusive community.
Our Statement on Antiracism
CoSE’s Statement of Solidarity
In August 2020, following the social unrest activated by the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the CoSE leadership issued a statement that we stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement to eradicate racism, and made a commitment to work toward a vision for institutionalizing antiracism in the college.
The Context for the CoSE Taskforce on Antiracism
We stand against racism. Anywhere. Everywhere.
In August 2020, the creation of the CoSE Task Force for Antiracism was announced. The CoSE leadership, within that announcement, committed to transparency, yearly reporting, and an annual reaffirmation to “renew the commitment of the Science Council, including all new members, to our social justice and anti-racism goals.” (Announcing a CoSE Task Force for Anti-Racism, 2020). The task force membership was formed November 2020, reflecting diverse identities of multiculturalism, including race/ethnicity, gender, and positions (students, staff, faculty).
CoSE Mission and Vision
We commit ourselves unreservedly to the dismantling of racist, inequitable and harmful structures.
Mission: To build an antiracist, inclusive, multicultural, and equitable CoSE community.
Vision: To deconstruct a racist structure by constructing and institutionalizing an antiracism CoSE structure sustained by policies, practices, and commitment that executes the mission.
A Strategic Action Plan
Building an antiracist, inclusive, multicultural, equitable and diverse community: The Antiracism Strategic Action Plan
The Strategic Action Plan serves as the guiding document for CoSE aligning with the mission and vision of fostering a climate of care, inclusiveness, respect, and acceptance within a multicultural community of faculty, staff and students. The primary focus of this comprehensive plan is the eradication of systemic racism, reflecting CoSE’s commitment to creating an environment to dismantle racist structures. Importantly, the plan is designed to be dynamic and "living," allowing for the continuous modification of objectives and actions to address the evolving needs and goals of CoSE.
Implementing the Strategic Plan
Inaction is No Action
“More than likely, because of its ingrained historic and continuous perpetuation, we will not eradicate racism in its entirety — however, we have a choice. We can sit back and do nothing and let this racist destruction continue or we can actively do something by creating an anti-racist community within CoSE.” (Harris, New assist dean dedicated to nurturing an antiracist culture, from Rajan, SF State News, August 2, 2023)
References and Resources
The references used for creation of the Strategic Plan and a list of resources to help build an antiracism community