Western's Racial Justice Advisory Committee will update campus on progress
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A blueprint for a more inclusive and equitable environment is beginning to take shape at Western Michigan University. One year after President Edward Montgomery charged Dr. Candy McCorkle, vice president for diversity and inclusion, to lead the Racial Justice Advisory Committee (RJAC), the group is ready to present its progress to the campus community.
"I've seen the work these folks have done, and I am amazed," McCorkle says. "There are lots of people right now talking about anti-racism, being equitable, inclusive—these are wonderful terms. But if there's no action behind them, they fall flat. This group really is looking at impactful change, identifying systemic inequities because of the structure or way we do things and making recommendations of how to change them."
RJAC is made up of more than 50 members representing the President's Cabinet as well as faculty, staff, students and alumni. Their goal is to identify areas that contribute to systemic racism and racial inequity at Western; identify and prioritize actions; create measures of accountability; and identify actions the campus community can take to support the recommendations. The work is divided into seven subcommittees:
Subcommittees used the book "From Equity Talk to Equity Walk" as a framework to evaluate not only Western's programs and practices but also the institution's structure through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.
"When you create a program but you haven't changed the environment it exists in, it can only do so much," says McCorkle. "We owe it to our students, faculty and staff to make this an environment they want to be in and can thrive in."
A virtual campus update on RJAC's progress is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Attendees will get a progress update from Montgomery and McCorkle as well as Dr. Ron Cisler, co-chair of the committee and dean of the College of Health and Human Services. Campus community members participating in the event also have the opportunity to meet with one of the subcommittees in a break-out session to learn more about their work, ask questions and provide feedback.
"This will give the subcommittees some more eyes on their work and allow them to fine-tune their recommendations before they submit them to the full committee next month," McCorkle says. RJAC will then review the recommendations and present those along with action plans to the President's Cabinet. The group will also make recommendations for accountability to ensure this work is implemented and continues to become part of the ethos of campus. A full RJAC timeline is available online.
"Our world is changing," says McCorkle. "If we are not willing to change and we want to still function in the 'good old days,' that's where we will stay. We will become a memory, not a relevant, thriving institution of education; and that's where I want to see us. That's why the folks on this committee have put so much into this."
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