Nearly 700 Pledge to Support SDSU's African American Community

Driven to heal through action, nearly 700 students, faculty, staff and administrators have signed a pledge to lead and take part in a number of actions to improve the campus climate for members of the Black community.
The pledge was drafted after the SDSU Black Resource Center was vandalized earlier this month, and was also motivated by a series of other reported and unreported bias-driven incidents on campus. The investigation into this vandalism by University Police is ongoing, however, at this time there is no evidence that the recent incidents are related. 
Actions include developing instruction and advising skills to reduce the achievement gap for underrepresented students, dedicating personal time to learn about implicit bias and offering financial support to the Black Resource Center and Department of Africana Studies. View and sign the pledge online by visiting the BRC site. 
“Take a moment to truly appreciate that hundreds of people have come together to acknowledge the pain some members of our community are feeling -- and they are taking actual action to improve the campus climate for our Black community. That is true allyship,” said SDSU Chief Diversity Officer J. Luke Wood. 
“In the face of hatred and discrimination, the pledge and the actions that follow are the best possible outcomes, and also what we would expect for our own community,” Wood said. “We each hold the responsibility to both create and nurture a supportive campus environment for our Black community and for us all.” 
SDSU President Adela de la Torre has also signed the pledge. She committed members of her administrative team to execute key elements found within the pledge even before these incidents occurred and before signing this pledge. Her support for our Black community is unwavering. One major initiative that was affirmed by the Senate earlier this year requires all senior leaders to develop diversity and inclusion plans for their respective areas as part of the strategic planning process, which will define SDSU’s next phase of priorities. Those plans will be integrated in the forthcoming strategic planning process. 
“I am proud of our community for speaking up in support of improving the campus climate for our Black community, as I do,” de la Torre said. 
“Diversity and inclusion are central and core to who we are at SDSU, and neither can be a sidebar conversation as we define the next set of priorities for the future of our great university and community,” she also said. “A diverse, inclusive community benefits every single one of us, enriches our research and learning and strengthens our ability to create supportive and authentic connections across perceived and actual borders.” 
SDSU Police Chief Josh Mays has also signed the pledge, saying he is dedicated to working alongside students, faculty and staff so that all community members feel safe on campus. “Trust exists as a byproduct of effective policing and genuine partnerships. At the University Police Department, we are committed to providing the highest level of police services strategically, effectively, and compassionately.”
Associate Vice President for Faculty Advancement Joanna Brooks initially drafted the pledge through a collaboration with several students, faculty, staff and administrators. 
“Black students and faculty have spoken up courageously to call for change. If change is to take place, the work and responsibility need to be shouldered by every member of our campus community,” Brooks said. “I am proud that so many faculty, students, campus leaders and community members are showing up to say that we do not tolerate bias, discrimination or hatred on our campus.”
In addition to the pledge, a number of recent initiatives have launched to expand campus diversity and inclusion efforts to improve the campus climate for the Black community and the overall community. Of note: 

• On April 11, 2019, the SDSU University Senate unanimously passed a resolution to foster a safe climate for Black students and called on the university to improve equity among Black faculty, among other improvements. 
• The Provost Professors initiative was launched this academic year, with a team of dedicated faculty members who are trained to provide programs designed to help counter bias, discrimination and microaggressions. 
• This semester, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion also announced 10 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which include the Black Faculty Staff Association and Black Women in Academia. Others ERGs are focused on the LatinX, LGBT, Filipino, Native American and indigenous communities -- all meant to create positive change in our campus climate. 

These efforts will undoubtedly help us to support others on campus, said Wood, also the Associate Vice President for Faculty Diversity & Inclusion. 
“We are aware and acknowledge that our Latinx, transgender and undocumented communities and also individuals of different religious backgrounds have similar concerns specific to our campus environment and also bias- and hate-driven incidents across the nation and world,” Wood said. “We so firmly believe that as we improve our campus environment, we will be able to effect positive change in our world to improve our collective condition. It is our duty and responsibility.”