SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE ON RACIAL JUSTICE Final Report May 2021 “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” - James Baldwin A MESSAGE FROM THE TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS May 2021 To all members of the Bridgewater State University community - and particularly our students: The President’s Special Task Force on Racial Justice (RJTF) has been working with great purpose and passion following the charge given by President Clark to examine the elements of policy, practice, and culture that are impeding racial equity at BSU, and to identify remedies and recommendations for corrective action. Some 70 members of our campus community have spent countless hours engaged in this thoughtful, necessary, often challenging, painful, and rewarding work to reach a deeper understanding of where and how we must, can, and will do better. We will forever remember that we began our work following the horrific murder of George Floyd; and, as we neared completion, we did so during the trial of Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of all charges. We very much take to heart the words of Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison who, in speaking of the verdict and the Floyd family, reminded us, “Although a verdict alone cannot end their pain, I hope it’s another first step on the long path toward healing for them… This verdict reminds us that we must make enduring, systemic societal change.” This institutional self-examination also occurred against the backdrop of a deadly global pandemic, a highly charged election cycle followed by insurrection in our nation’s capital, a string of violent attacks against members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community, waves of mass shootings, and continued deaths of Black and Brown people at the hands of police. All who served on the RJTF – like our colleagues, friends, and family across campus and beyond – have been impacted by the sheer weight of the times we are in and approached the work with an even greater sense of urgency. Like so many at BSU, they committed to taking this on while continuing to manage their regular workloads, family obligations, and other pressing priorities. Because of COVID, we did our work without ever being in the same room. This limitation did not deter our ability to build trust and forge a palpable sense of community. We were reminded along the way that life is complex, rich, and fragile. In our time together, committee members experienced the painful loss of loved ones absent the ability to gather and to give and receive support. We shared photos and favorite virtual backdrops, provided limited tours of our homes, and cheered on all who have been navigating wi-fi capacity, juggling multiple generations, and were suddenly providing both tech and classroom support for school-age household members. We even met family members, pets, roommates, and the occasional Amazon or Uber-Eats delivery person. Throughout it all, Task Force members engaged with intelligence, humor, and humility, and they took to heart the charge and the challenge issued by President Clark. What follows are findings and recommendations based upon months of identifying and asking hard questions, gathering and analyzing data, and noting areas where data are not readily available. This is not a comprehensive research study. It is, however, an incredibly thoughtful, thorough, and critical self-study conducted during an extraordinary period in the 180-year history of our institution. This report is not meant to be a complete picture or a final word – there is always more to be examined and understood, more to learn and to do. However, it lays out many immediate and long-term steps we can take together toward becoming a more racially just, inclusive, and equitable community. i A MESSAGE FROM THE TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS We are especially grateful to our incredible teammates - Jill Beckwith, Lisa Cushing Shaw, and Isabel Bourget - and to the Vice Chairs and Subcommittee Co-Chairs who were often problem- solving and writing into the later hours and early morning. We are deeply thankful for the work of all members of the RJTF and subcommittee participants – all of whom provided information; took the time to answer surveys, respond to requests for interviews and focus groups; and ensured we could gather safely and securely via Zoom or Teams. All told, we estimate that well over 1,000 members of our campus community participated. We thank our students and other members of our community who lifted their voices and shared their experiences and perspectives with honesty and candor. As we apply the lens of equity and inclusion to this work and to our campus community, we do so with a desire to strengthen the bonds between us and to create a stronger, more equitable living and learning community. We are deeply appreciative of the leadership of President Clark, who trusted us to take this step of critical self-analysis. And we are grateful to the openness and support of the entire campus as we work with President Clark to advance and sustain this effort, continue to engage in self-reflection, and continuously ask what each of us can do better and differently to ensure a brighter future for all of us. With gratitude and hope for a stronger Bridgewater State University, Davede Alexander Mary K. Grant Carolyn Petrosino Member of the Senior Administrative Fellow Professor Emerita BSU Board of Trustees for Civics and Social Justice of Criminal Justice ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Participation Racial Justice Task Force Members and Project Management Team 1 Affiliated Subcommittee Participants 2 Additional Acknowledgements 3 Foundations Overview of the Task Force 5 Statement of Guiding Values 6 Structure and Roles 7 Chronology of Activity 8 Community Voices and Preliminary Calls to Action A Sample of Our Community’s Candor 10 BSU Community Forums on Racial Justice 11 Amplify: Black and Brown Voices of BSU 12 BSU Student of Color Student Success Focus Group 13 A Letter to BSU from Recent Black Alumni 14 Subcommittee Discovery and Recommendations Preface from the Task Force Co-Chairs 15 Summary Reports: An Overview 16 Curricula and Co-Curricula 17 BSU Workforce 25 Education, Training, and Continued Learning Opportunities for Faculty, Staff, and Students 34 Investing in and Supporting Students: Administrative and Organizational Support Structures 39 Police and Public Safety 49 Creating a Place for Ongoing Support, Problem Solving, Reporting Resolution, and Response 55 Final Reflections From the Task Force Co-Chairs 58 Exhibits List of Exhibits 61 iii PARTICIPATION Racial Justice Task Force Members Task Force Co-Chairs Mr. Davede Alexander, BSU Trustee Dr. Mary Grant, Senior Administrative Fellow for Civics and Social Justice Dr. Carolyn Petrosino, Professor Emerita of Criminal Justice Vice Chairs Dr. Jakari Griffith, Associate Professor of Management and Marketing (Vice Chair, Faculty) Ms. Samantha Joseph, ’04, President, BSU Afro-American Alumni Association (Vice Chair, Alumni) Ms. Sydné Marrow, G’14, Director, Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (Vice Chair, Staff) Ms. Anna Rice, ’21, President, BSU Student Government Association (Vice Chair, Students) Appointed Members Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi, Professor of Communication Studies; Academic Director of Global Programs Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson, Professor of English; U.S. Ethnic and Indigenous Studies Coordinator Ms. Mary Ankomah, ’20 Ms. Diane Bell, Director, Internship Program Dr. Diana Fox, Professor of Anthropology Dr. Sabrina Gentlewarrior, Vice President for Student Success and Diversity Mr. Glenn Gonsalves, ’91, Associate Director, Athletics and Recreation Mr. George Gurley, G’82, Former Chief of Police, Town of Bridgewater Mr. T.J. Hairston, ’20, BSU Graduate Student Ms. Tiffany Harriott, BSU Undergraduate Student Dr. Michael King, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Dr. Brenda Molife, Vice President for Outreach and Engagement (Fall 2020) Dr. Joseph Oravecz, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Ms. Domingas (Mingy) Penha, Maintainer III, Custodial Services Ms. Emily Portela, BSU Graduate Student Ms. Gabriella Rivera, BSU Undergraduate Student Dr. Pamela Russell, Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs Dr. Jenny Shanahan, Assistant Provost for High-Impact Practices Dr. Jibril Solomon, Assistant Professor of Social Work Mr. Marquis Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Coaching4Change Mr. David Tillinghast, Esq., Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Ms. Sabrina Victor, Recruitment Assistant, Human Resources and Talent Management Task Force Project Management Team Ms. Jill Beckwith, RJTF Project Manager; Director of Operations, MRISJ Ms. Isabel Bourget, ’18, RJTF Administrative Support; Research Assistant, MRISJ Ms. Lisa Cushing Shaw, RJTF Administrative Support 1 PARTICIPATION Affiliated Subcommittee Participants Dr. Arnaa Alcon, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Ms. Michelle Arnel, BSU Undergraduate Student Mr. Angelo Lopes Barbosa, Director, Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies Ms. Elizabeth Ching-Bush, Assistant Dean of Students, Residence Life and Housing Mr. Joseph Clark, BSU Undergraduate Student Ms. Emily Cuff, BSU Undergraduate Student Dr. Jeanean Davis-Street, Dean of the Louis M. Ricciardi College of Business Ms. Cecilia De Oliveira, Director, Student Success and Equity Interventions Mr. Viriato (Vinny) deMacedo, Director, Office of Regional Partnerships Ms. D Demers, Equal Opportunity Investigator, Office of Equal Opportunity/Title IX