“We must all develop the behavioral commitments, ethical courage, and effective strategies to empower members of our community to combat racism.”

– President Hiram E. Chodosh

 

On June 18, 2020, President Hiram E. Chodosh announced CMC’s Presidential Initiative on Anti-Racism and the Black Experience in AmericaThe Initiative aspires to develop a vision, strategy, action plan, and accountable measures for a “long-term, structural, integrated educational response to racism, inequality, and inequity.”

This work, a core priority of the College, is challenging and vital to our shared success. Even through the pandemic, we made progress in 2020-21 – and we will build on this progress “until we have developed a community that no longer needs The Initiative.”

Download our report on The Presidential Initiative: The Steps Taken – The Steps Ahead.

Read the Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey.

 

Core Commitments

The Initiative was created not just to support our Black community, but to expand it. Not just to study racism, but to find effective ways to end it. President Chodosh identified the following in his 2020 letter to the community:

  • We learn best when we own it. This is our work, our shared responsibility.
  • We learn by doing. This is a learning experience.
  • Change is effective when centrally embedded in our daily work. This is a fully integral educational response.
  • What’s measured gets done. This is about outcomes.
Read the letter
 

Faculty Impact

The College implemented new coursework, workshops, research collaborations, and institutional resources to bolster our commitments, most notably through a robust Faculty Fellows program with a cohort of 14 full-time faculty and an additional five funded Course Development Grants.

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Learning Experience

Several programs concretely strengthened the learning experience at CMC in grappling with the role of race and racism and its impacts. This touched all parts of campus life, including Dean of Students training and engagement, CMS Athletics outreach, and Athenaeum programming.

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Shared Responsibility

The Initiative is committed to a collaborative, community effort. Our leadership team, through work with engaged steering committees for students, faculty, staff, and alumni, has established a foundation of achievement and a pathway for future actions in pursuit of clear outcomes.

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The Road Ahead

By synthesizing recommendations within our community and learning from and building upon the accomplishments and challenges faced in the first phase of The Initiative, we will continue to pursue the following key priorities in the year ahead.

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Join Us

We seek strategic, programmatic, and philanthropic partners to advance the promise and potential of The Presidential Initiative on Anti-Racism and the Black Experience in America. Your engagement and support make our vision possible. To learn more, email us at change@cmc.edu.
 

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