December 18 Update on Antiracism Work

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:

I write to share a few updates about Haverford’s antiracism work as we reach the end of the semester.

• Interim Co-Chief Diversity Officers: I am pleased to announce that on January 1, 2021 Assistant Dean of First Generation/Low Income (FGLI) Students Raquel Esteves-Joyce will join Provost Linda Strong-Leek as the College’s interim co-CDO. Raquel is a passionate supporter of students and an inspiring colleague. She is well positioned to take on this new role, and her portfolio has been reconfigured to accommodate these responsibilities in the context of a larger reorganization of DEI work in the Dean’s Office. As interim co-CDO, Raquel will be a member of Senior Staff. I am confident that Linda and Raquel will be an effective team in leading the College in our DEI and antiracism work through June 2021. Simultaneously, the CDO Advisory Group will begin meeting in the spring to develop a recommendation for the best ongoing, sustainable structure for the CDO role at Haverford for the 2021-22 year and beyond.
• Antiracism Action Update: As you will recall, I committed to advancing a number of initiatives that were elevated to our collective awareness this summer by a letter from Black Students Refusing Further Inaction. I would like to share the latest report on progress made, next steps, and accompanying timelines. This work closely aligns with commitments made during this fall’s strike for racial equity, which are summarized with progress updates here; additional end-of-semester updates will come in January.
• Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance: Haverford has joined this new group of liberal arts colleges committed to advancing racial equity. LACRELA will provide synchronous and asynchronous virtual learning resources for all employees, professional development opportunities, and an invitation to participate in national campus climate assessments focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Alliance is based at the Race and Equity Center of the University of Southern California under the leadership of noted higher ed scholar Shaun Harper, whom some of you might know from his time at the University of Pennsylvania.

I would like to thank the many students, faculty, and staff whose hard work led to or is represented in the progress above. Critical work toward racial equity continues, as I write, with urgency and engagement. Thank you to all whose antiracism learning and commitments are contributing to our collective motion forward.

Sincerely,
Wendy