Dear Faculty and Academic Affairs Staff,
We write to you as members of the Provost’s Leadership Council to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the anti-Black, racist violence that resulted in George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020. This is a deeply disturbing time in our country, a time in which we must take a stand against anti-Black policing and structural racism and a time in which we must commit to taking action to make long overdue changes.
All of us who work at Sonoma State have chosen to devote our lives to the promise of education as a critically important pathway to build a more inclusive and just society. We all are proud to serve a diverse student population and to work every day to ensure we deliver on our commitment to high-quality, affordable, accessible education for all of our students.
The racism being expressed in words and action across the country is unacceptable. So is inaction.
As educators and role models to our students and to our communities, we must stand together against injustice.
We invite you to visit the SSU Center for Community Engagement’s 'Address Racial Injustice' website, where you will find many resources to help you learn more and find your own way to take action.
We also invite you to join us in signing up for the Center for Community Engagement’s Call to Action. Anybody who signs up will be invited to share their ideas about what we can do at Sonoma State to address the racial injustice that permeates our society, violates Black bodies, and degrades Black lives.
Report for Racial Justice
On June 5, 2020 the Provost’s Leadership Council announced a call to action in response to the anti-Black, racist violence in our country. As a result of the call to action, we have created a report that catalogues specific, detailed actions that each school is taking to address this issue.
Faculty Exchanges
Calling all faculty! You are invited to join any and all of the upcoming Faculty Exchanges:
- Wednesday, August 26 @ 1pm - Performative versus Authentic Racial Justice." How do you take authentic action? This will be facilitated by Lauren Moromoto (Kinesiology).
- Friday, September 4th @ 2pm - Interrupting and redirecting instances of white supremacy/racism and sexism in the online classroom - What works and what doesn't?" Lena McQuade (WGS) will facilitate along with faculty and student colleagues.
- Thursday, September 17 @ 4pm - Launching the Racial Justice Canvas Page. Explore and improve a faculty-opened resource hub to support faculty discussion and sharing of classroom tools for anti-racist education. Faculty Facilitator needed (see below)!
- Friday, October 16th @ 2:30-4pm - Book Discussion: So you want to talk about race? by Ijeoma Oluo. Read the book ahead of our discussion and come to exchange ideas! Faculty Facilitator needed (see below)! (Add Zoom Link to Calendar)
- Thursday, November 19 @ 12pm - Systemic Equity at SSU. This discussion will focus on systemic equity issues in higher education, with a particular focus on SSU. We hope this focus will result in concrete ideas for change. Laura Krier (Library) will facilitate. (Add Zoom Link to Calendar)
Faculty can attend any and all Faculty Exchanges without RSVPing. Attendance is completely voluntary. Pets and children are welcome to interrupt. The purpose is simply to provide an informal space for faculty to exchange ideas about curriculum and teaching. See you there!
PS: Please volunteer to facilitate (or recommend a colleague) or suggest an idea for a Faculty Exchange @Academic Programs. Facilitators simply help manage the conversation and need not be experts or leaders!
Faculty Diversity
As part of the Provost's ongoing commitment to improving diversity, understanding, and inclusion here at SSU, a report from the Chancellor's Office on Faculty Diversity at SSU has been comissioned.
Racial Justice Publications
We are proud of the work our faculty has done in the area of racial justice. Here is a listing of books that SSU faculty and administrators have published on this topic:
| Title | Author/Editor | Cover |
|---|---|---|
| Racial Ecologies | Leilani Nishime, Kim D. Hester Williams |  |
| A Theory of Race | Joshua Glasgow |  |
| Charleston - In Black and White | Steve Estes |  |
| What is Race? | Joshua Glasgow, Sally Haslanger, Chike Jeffers, and Quayshawn Spencer |  |
| The Economic Civil Rights Movement | Michael Ezra |  |
| Civil Rights Movement - People and Perspectives | Michael Ezra |  |
| I Am A Man! | Steve Estes |  |
| The Portable Nineteenth-Century African American Women Writers | Hollis Robbins, Henry Louis Gates Jr. |  |
| Forms of Contention | Hollis Robbins |  |
| The Works of William Wells Brown | Paula Garrett, Hollis Robbins |  |
| Watermelon Nights | Greg Sarris |  |
| When Time Warps | Megan Burke |  |
| Latino/a Thought | Francisco H. Vazquez |  |
| Keeping Slug Woman Alive | Greg Sarris |  |
| Tension and Contention in Language Education for Latinxs in the United States | Glenn A. Martinez, Robert W. Train |  |