As a college and institution of higher learning, it is our mission to promote intellectual inquiry and effective civic engagement within the context of respect for diversity. Our ability to educate is one tool for making change in the world. We can demand change in our community, but first, we have to educate our community on why that change is necessary.
Through the summer and fall semesters of 2020, we are developing initiatives to address racism and teach people how to be antiracist. From online workshops and video testimonials to uncomfortable conversations about race, we will challenge each other to think about deeply engrained biases we carry. We will learn about structural racism from each other and work together to promote and advocate for antiracist policies.
Our goal is threefold:
- To identify racism in its many forms
- To educate people about why engaging in antiracism work is important
- To encourage people to become antiracist
Being antiracist is a conscious decision to make consistent, equitable choices every day. Each of us have the ability for ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we educate, learn, live, and work together in our UT community and beyond. We hope you take advantage of the opportunities presented this year to engage in dialogue with our community about race, racism, allyship, and becoming antiracist.