The Anti-Racism Leadership Team: One face of anti-racism at Metropolitan State

-- Katie Kraemer

In October 2002, in an open letter to the university, President Bradshaw wrote he was giving high priority and "unqualified personal commitment" to a university-wide initiative to transform Metropolitan State into an actively anti-racist community. Encouraging all members to take advantage of upcoming education, organizing, and discussion opportunities, he observed that:

Dismantling racism requires a long, thoughtful, and structured process. Over the years to come, we must all be unwavering in our commitment, regardless of the struggles we will doubtless encounter on the path toward institutional transformation.

One enduring result of President Bradshaw’s call for action is the university’s Anti-Racism Leadership Team (ARLT)—a group of students, staff, administrators, and faculty committed in its mission to “dismantling racist practices and furthering racial justice in and out of the classroom.” In service to that mission, the work the ARLT over the past four years has included:

• releasing in October 2005 the Campus Climate Report, based on a detailed survey of student and employee perspectives on racist and anti-racist structures, practices, and behavior.
• helping coordinate in November 2005 a community-wide summit on the Campus Climate Report to discuss findings and recommend further action.
• organizing, in the two years leading up to the summit, a series of community conversations on the topic of institutional racism and anti-racist action.
• promoting and participating in two-per-year Undoing Racism trainings, conducted by the People’s Institute for Survival and sponsored by the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.

In addition to these and other projects, the ARLT emphasizes that it honors and supports the anti-racism work of students—particularly the work of student of color, their organizations, and the Student Senate. The ARLT welcomes and values broad student input. In fact, owing to students’ thoughtful input at the 2005 summit, every student of color will now be asked to complete the Campus Climate Survey, and the results will be published, studied carefully, and responded to.

Currently the Anti-Racism Leadership Team seeks broader participation and support. The team plans a series of fall focus groups on issues raised in the Campus Climate Survey, such as how to better support and retain students of color, and how to strengthen anti-racist policies and practices. Meanwhile, the ARLT encourages students, staff, and faculty to:

• connect across lines of color in and out of the classroom.
• speak out with respect and understanding against racist words, actions, and conventions.
• explore coursework that studies the experience of people of color.