The students of Seton Hall University are not in support of the recently implemented Talent Inclusion Project.  As students of color, investing our work and money at this university, we believe that this initiative is neither a proper, professional, nor ethical response to the students’ discontent with the campus climate. This includes, but is not limited to: structural and verbal racism, discrimination, and social segregation within Seton Hall. It is our collective observation that the Talent Inclusion Project mocks discrimination towards students of color and transforms it into a game of feel-good rewards for putting on a good show. We believe that any kind of action which promotes inclusion should be the standard of Seton Hall and should not be made into a tokenizing project that incentivizes performing “inclusive” acts. Building an environment that does not discriminate against students of color and includes all people ought to be an institutional, standard commitment by Seton Hall that addresses the deeper roots of the problem.

We demand more hands-on initiatives, not activities where individuals are rewarded for acting how they should already act: inclusive to all types of people no matter the race.  Treating people in ways that “affirm that another member of our community has made someone else feel welcomed or valued,” should be a mandatory requirement at Seton Hall. We stand in solidarity with the Black Caucus’ decision to not support the Talent Inclusion Project and are looking forward to seeing how else Seton Hall pushes its inclusion agenda. As an oppressed student body, we are not sure of the true intentions of the inclusion committee, which is overwhelmingly comprised of non-student representatives. When students leaders went to voice these concerns, the Provost’s response was that the project would not be reconsidered, despite the fact that the leaders addressed it was a diminishing initiative to us. All other proposals made by the Black Caucus were immediately dismissed. We do not support the Talent Inclusion project and maintain a firm, unrelenting demand for a more expansive program to address our problems.

#Concerned44