The recent murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, as well as the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and many more, could not demonstrate more clearly that systemic racism and injustice against the Black community continue to be pressing issues in our nation. The recent protests that have swept across the United States and across Iowa demonstrate that the need for change is now and that silence in the face of racial injustice equates to support of that injustice.
The DMACC Diversity Commission stands strong in support of these protests and all of the other work that is being done to fight for justice and equity for Blacks in our community. Many of our DMACC students, staff, and faculty have been directly impacted by the racism that continues to exist in our country, our state, and our community, and we know that it is our job as a commission to fight against that racism and to work to promote justice. We also ¬recognize that in order to move forward we must understand and address our institutional shortcomings.
As one part of that work, DMACC’s Diversity Commission will be hosting a virtual listening session, Voices of Diversity, on Thursday, June 11th from 12:00-1:30pm. This session will create a space where our Black students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of other communities of color, can share their frustrations, anxieties, anger, and experiences surrounding this issue with the larger DMACC community and have those experiences heard and acknowledged.
Our work won’t stop there. The
DMACC Diversity Commission is comprised of faculty, staff, and students from across the district and is charged with advocating for diversity awareness and ensuring diversity is integrated into all aspects of campus culture. To us, that means actively working through speaking out, providing financial support, and creating programming that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. We have worked hard to provide events, trainings, and opportunities for staff, faculty, and students since we formed as a commission; going forward, we continue to be committed to prioritizing programming that forwards the work of racial justice and justice for all marginalized communities.
