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President’s Message: Update on Campus Initiative on Race

To the Meredith Community,

Since announcing the first step to collect information in our plan for addressing racism at Meredith, I have continued to meet with students and colleagues of color. I have been listening to stories about painful experiences, and I appreciate their and your trusting me with those stories.

I have also heard what seem to be excellent suggestions for addressing some of these problems, including a range of suggestions regarding our curriculum, first-year experience opportunities, means of holding each other accountable, specific repercussions for violations of Community Standards that include expressions of racism, celebrations of the contributions of people of color to each discipline and to the College, and more. The campus climate survey will help ensure all have a chance to express their views, experiences, and ideas.

Our work to create change is already underway, and the information we are gathering will help ground this work in cultural humility so that we do not assume we already know how to fix problems we admit we may not fully understand. More must—and will—be done, including commitments to ongoing education, accountability, and support.  We will hire a consultant to help us identify specific steps and actions. Once we more thoroughly understand the issues, ongoing training and resources are necessary to carry out this work as a journey along the continuum towards enlightenment and justice. This is a long-term commitment. Thank you for being part of that process.

Sincerely,
Jo Allen, ’80
President

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu