You painted the Rock, now what? An open letter by UNW students and alum

As students and alum of University of Northwestern, we are continuously disappointed by the university's lack of action in dismantling institutional and systemic racism. Although the school made a public statement and painted “The Rock” acknowledging the death of George Floyd, once again, the university has failed to make any plans for sustainable change. Statements without action are meaningless.

Throughout our time as students at Northwestern, we witnessed the unjust killings of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Sterling Brown, Sandra Bland, Jamar Clark, Philando Castile and countless others. Each of these times, black students were retraumatized from their own experiences of racism at this institution, in this state, and in this country. Although they had the support of the multicultural student organization, FORCE, the leadership of the university remained silent by not taking measurable actions to support students and address its own institutional racism, leaving students feeling unheard and unsafe. 

Silence is no longer an option as it continues to harm black students and other students of color. As we fight for justice, we must hold one another accountable to examining our own bias and racism, while asking ourselves how we can contribute to the changes we want to see in the university and our society. Furthermore, as a Christ-centered institution, the university has the obligation to uphold the values of the Bible, which clearly states the importance of God’s people to speak up and step out for justice. We write this letter to ask the university to take the following actions:

1. Establish a ‘Diversity, Equity & Inclusion’ office to guide the faculty and staff from all departments. The purpose of this office should be to influence and support decision-making at all levels to ensure all decisions made at the University of Northwestern are through an equitable lens. 
2. Incorporate measurable diversity, equity & inclusion goals into the strategic plan 
3. Mandate rigorous training for faculty, staff, and students on anti-racism, bias, and privilege.
4. Teach courses on Black, Native American, LatinX, and Asian theologies and histories that also explore the racial injustices in our country and the church. These courses should be integrated into the core curriculum.
5. Publicly denounce white supremacy and hold university leaders, faculty, staff, and students accountable for racist remarks and behavior. Mandate a zero racism tolerance policy.
6. Publicly support and fund organizations that fight white supremacy, systemic racism, and social injustice.
7. Allocate more funding to FORCE to support the professional and personal development of students of color, such as attending student leadership conferences.
8. Invite local social justice activists to speak in chapel and facilitate training about structural racism.
9. Hire more faculty, counselors, and staff of color that reflect the growing diversity of the student population.
10. Create a ‘George Floyd Memorial Scholarship’ to contribute to the educational promise of aspiring young Black American leaders. This scholarship should be separate from the ActSix scholarship program.
11. Continue to commit to fully funding the ActSix scholarship program.

Change does not happen overnight and there are far more actions that need to be taken than are on this list. This is just the beginning. This important and necessary work will take commitment and continuous effort to see systemic and institutional change. We ask the leadership of the University of Northwestern to commit to taking the actions stated above as the first steps in this journey. By committing to taking these action steps, the University of Northwestern will start to be a safe space for black students and other students of color. We, as current students and alum, will hold the university accountable. We are also committed to partnering with the university in taking these initial steps toward making the University of Northwestern a more equitable and inclusive institution.