June 19, 2020
Dear Manhattanville Administration,

We are outraged and frustrated at the obscenities facing our communities. The unlawful killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and most recently George Floyd by police officers and white supremacists has now led to civil unrest in the communities we reside in. In mourning their deaths and remembering their lives, we urge you to join the global call for justice in support of all Black Americans who have been killed, attacked, and brutalized.

We are pleased that Manhattanville issued a statement acknowledging Black Lives Matter on campus, but there is a long history of systemic and ideological racism that has allowed for the ongoing violence and dehumanization of Black people in America. With that being said, more must be done!

There are evolving breaks in our society beyond COVID-19; societal fractures that are posing a severe mental health crisis to the African-American/Black community at Manhattanville College. In light of the recent events involving racism in our country and in our community, I believe it's important that we take an active and immediate stand. With sincerity and concern for the well-being of the Black students, we want to address our issues with the College’s leadership and share a list of actionable responses.

Manhattanville College history of racism includes:
• Wrongful arrest and harassment by the Harrison Police Department towards Black students on campus • Discrimination and ostracizing of Black students in classrooms by Faculty
• Unaddressed rape allegations
• Black-face and the display of nooses used to humiliate and intimidate Black students
• Racial slurs spewed on school property
• Defamation of character against Black students
• Vandalization of tools and resources used for Black organizations
• Complete lack of support of expansion/diversity for Black students on campus by Administration

Although there is not one solution, we hope that this list of requests will be met with swift allyship and empathy. This is necessary to retain Black students and create a safe, healthy, and enjoyable College environment and experience for them while at Manhattanville.

Requests:

1. Craft a public statement to students addressing the unlawful treatment of African American citizens and President Trump’s inflammatory language towards protestors. The current President of the United States of America incited state-sanctioned violence in the following statement on Twitter. “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” This phrase carries a violent origin against Black people. Black students need to be seen and heard. They deserve to know that they are valuable members of the Manhattanville community. There have been extreme acts of racism on campus in the form of racist slogans, nooses, and black face. Manhattanville College must be a safe space to learn and grow without carrying the weight of campus racism. These students should always be the priority. A strong and detailed public statement to your community assures your Black students of your support and lessens the chances of unacceptable racism and discriminatory behavior happening on campus. Students will simply know that it is intolerable.

2. Employ competent and reliable Black leaders in Manhattanville’s Administration, Faculty, and Staff and ensure their visibility and exposure to incoming black students. Black faculty members are woefully underrepresented or nonexistent in the vast majority of departments on campus. Many Black students at Manhattanville have never had a Black professor during their tenure. This is unsatisfactory. Hire culturally competent faculty members AND leaders in administration with 5+ years of diversity, inclusivity, and equity experience that has improved conditions of Black communities. Black students should be involved in this process. The absence of Black Administration Faculty, and Staff has allowed white supremacy to creep into the curriculum, policy, and even the infrastructure of Manhattanville. We are encouraged by the creation of the Center for Inclusion but they simply cannot do the work alone.

3. Hire a Black Admissions Counselor. He or she should work on the recruitment of Black students exclusively, and make decisions concerning admissions of Black Students. The Black admissions officer should be aided by two Black students from each class. These Admission aids must be selected from the Black Student Union.

4. Host a Campus Black Lives Matter Forum. The recently released statement from administration mentions the Center for Inclusion as well as Faculty and Staff. It seems that the administration is relying solely on the Center for Inclusion to “handle” all race related issues. We demand that Manhattanville Administration do more to get campus input on how to address Anti Blackness and police brutality against Black Americans. All departments at Manhattanville should be involved in this conversation. This forum must be done on Manhattanville College’s campus.

5. Revise Manhattanville’s Mission Statement. Emphatically state that Manhattanville does not tolerate discrimination or racial injustice against students of color followed with a detailed disciplinary plan of action that you intend to follow with no exceptions. Many Black students recall little to no consequences when they spoke up about racial injustices that they have experienced on campus. Update your current code of conduct!

6. Recruit more Black Undergraduate and Graduate Students, and Provide Resources to Facilitate their Retention. Black students should make up at least 25% of Manhattanville’s population. Recent studies show that Black students make up between 7-8% of your population including both part-time and full-time students. Increase recruitment efforts of Black graduate and undergraduate students. Create a mentorship program for incoming Black students. This program will help retain Black students, creating a community that will allow incoming Black students to see themselves reflected on and off campus. Black students have shared their desire to leave Manhattanville after their first year because of a lack of inclusivity and culture. The gradual decline in Black student enrollment represents a failure to proactively recruit and retain Black students on our campus.

7. Support the Black Student Union. Seek funds to further enhance the programs and events that the current Black Student Union Executive Board are curating. Having support from Administration, Faculty, and Staff will make a difference in their presence on campus and their ability to produce quality programs, leadership, and events.

8. Collaborate with the College’s Alumni Relations to establish programs and events that create a community for past Black alumni. Create a Black Alumni Association; doing so will assist in increasing Black alumni’s involvement with Manhattanville and in turn help with retaining Black Undergraduate and Graduate students. Manhattanville failed to create a community for many of its Black Students; Black alumni are imperative to the retention of Manhattanville’s Black student body.

9. Develop and require a race awareness inclusivity and equitable policy and training for all existing and new Administration, Faculty, and Staff. All Administration, Faculty, and Staff should be equipped with the necessary tools and resources to dismantle the ideals of white supremacy on campus. Their mission must support the Code of Conduct and no tolerance racism policies.

10. Immediate restructure of Manhattanville’s Campus safety. Black students are targeted by Campus Safety. There is no restorative justice for students. Create an effective training program for present and new safety officers. This program should require Campus Safety to not only hire competent, compassionate, and caring Safety officers but also to have consistent training reports to assess and ensure the safety and welfare of its Black students.

11. Demand the Harrison Police Department to demilitarize and eliminate the historic relationship with Manhattanville’s Campus Safety. The head of Campus Safety should be an ally for students of Color. Black students on campus are seen as enemy threats and therein targeted by Campus Safety and Harrison Police Department. Harrison Police Department should not be able to come on campus to harass and arrest Black students before the School intervenes. Document and share procedures put in place to ensure that unlawful matters are handled before getting the local police department involved? How will you stand by your promise to the many Black parents who left their children in your care after you guaranteed their children’s safety during New Student and Family Orientation? Manhattanville prides itself on being ethically and socially responsible — we need that to reflect in the form of protective support.

12. Provide Reparative justice for incoming African American students in the form of Scholarships and Stipends. Black students should receive a monthly stipend according to their families income. We are aware of potential issues with funding due to Covid-19 but we expect the College to not only seek funds but assess the budget of all Departments to prioritize the needs of its Black students.

13. Highlight and celebrate solidarity among Black and Brown people with Generously Funded- Programming and Inter-cultural Opportunities. Utilize Manhattanville College’s social media platform to raise awareness and act as an ally for the social injustices that impact the African- American/Black community. Encourage, create, and facilitate programs that address systematic cycles of oppression. Many of these issues stem from living in a white supremacist market-driven culture. Additionally, the College’s failure to explicitly acknowledge and celebrate its diversity within diversity has led to conflicts of colorism and the subjectivity of Black descendants. You must address these issues by celebrating the true diversity, solidarity and community of Black and Brown people. Support your Black students, survey the Black students and ask what they need to succeed and feel seen during their tenure at Manhattanville College.

Most of these requests are the exact same demands that the 17 brave Black students led by Mrs. Paula Williams (Mays), presented to the community of Manhattanville College on Monday, December 8, 1969, when they barricaded themselves in Brownson Hall. It is a shame and a disgrace that over 50 years later, we are still facing the same issues. Black people are being murdered by white cops while the world watches. Peaceful protestors are being targeted, tear gassed and silenced. Black students do not feel safe and seen on Manhattanville College’s campus. We cannot allow this movement to become another fleeting moment in history, remaining silent is no longer an option. Justice is not only about police accountability, it is about intervention, structural change, and fair treatment within all institutions. Manhattanville College’s response and immediate actions on the demands are necessary steps toward justice and to show with actions, not just words, that Black Lives Matter.

Respectfully Submitted,

Manhattanville Black Alumni, Black Student Union, and Black Students of Manhattanville College Written by Danielle J. Summons c/o 2011