Toward Racial Justice at Smith College,<br>July 14, 2020

Dear students, staff, faculty and alums:

We write today to share a plan in progress, developed in response to the urgent need to advance racial justice in our country and in our institution. Titled “Toward Racial Justice at Smith College,” the proposed plan draws on work done in 2019-20 with students, staff and faculty on Inclusion in Action; considers student and alumni demands; and incorporates ideas from the Inclusion Council and other bodies at Smith. It represents the first phase of a multi-level, collegewide strategic plan—individual, departmental and institutional—to advance equity and inclusion. Importantly, it is a plan that prioritizes dismantling anti-Blackness. The President’s Cabinet is deeply invested in this critical ongoing work and has worked with the team in the Office for Equity and Inclusion on this draft plan.

How to achieve racial justice is the moral question of our time. We know that so many in the Smith community care deeply about advancing racial justice at Smith and beyond. For this reason, we are sharing this document for public comment because we seek everyone’s partnership. Please take time to review this draft action plan and share your comments and feedback. Now more than ever, we want our actions toward racial justice at Smith to reflect and honor our community’s collective wisdom, experience and best ideas.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McCartney
President

Floyd Cheung
Vice President for Equity and Inclusion