Dear Barry University Community,
I write to you on Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in this country and a shameful period in human history, hopeful that today we are on the path to overcoming the painful legacy that has persisted for centuries.
Numerous acts of horrific violence against Black Americans have opened deep wounds and caused trauma for so many across the nation and within our Barry University community. They have also opened eyes, hearts and minds. These senseless and cruel tragedies, amidst a global health crisis disproportionately affecting people of color, have reignited calls for the true end to systemic racial injustice, inequality, and violence.
Change is needed and I believe we are uniquely qualified at Barry University to be leaders and examples in this effort. The more complicated question is what specifically should we do as a university to effectively facilitate this meaningful change? Answering this question requires addressing deep and century-old challenges as well as thoughtful deliberation and diverse points of view. We must get it right.
As a first step, I have convened a group of thoughtful leaders and experts among our faculty, staff and students to help chart our path forward. These individuals are listed below. This path will involve additional near-term initiatives, along with identifying a series of action plans and desired outcomes for the coming academic year and beyond. I will be working with this group personally and have already benefited greatly from their wisdom.
Please know that this is by no means an exclusive group. Every member of our community will be called upon to engage and lend their expertise, ideas and reflections from their personal experiences.
As we prioritize our efforts, there is a clear and immediate need to help our Black students, faculty and staff experiencing renewed trauma as a result of this continued violence. We have already had productive conversations around coordinating healing circles and the importance of giving members of our community various means to have their voices heard, even in our virtual environment.
As a majority-minority institution with no real majority in our student population, we take great pride in our diversity and inclusion, and our commitment to treating one another with dignity. But we are not immune. We will undertake a deep self-examination of our university and the experience for all members of our Barry community in order to eradicate inequity, bias and discrimination and determine what work is needed in terms of education, training, self-reflection and systemic change.
Finally, we will draw upon our mission, our focus on social justice, and the expertise within our campus community to lead beyond our university borders. We will identify ways in which our educational programs can be utilized to help break the cycle of systemic racism and we will look to partner with community organizations whenever possible and productive. We can and will be a beacon for change.
I thank the university leaders who have agreed to lend their expertise and experience to this effort:
Dr. Glenn Bowen
Director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives
Dr. Paula Dias
Program Manager in the Office of Mission Engagement
Johanssen Granoit
Student Government Association President
Dr. Pamela Hall
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Nicholas Jones
Director of Career Services and Student Life at the Law School
Dr. Mitchell Rosenwald
Professor of Social Work
Dr. Phyllis Scott
Dean of the School of Social Work
Dr. Lauren Shure
Program Director in the School of Education
It will take the collaboration of our entire community of faculty, staff, students and alumni to propel us forward. With the leadership of this group, we will fully develop our charge.
As a university, we are poised to do the difficult and sometimes uncomfortable work. We will take bold steps to do our part to combat centuries of systemic racism and violence. I thank each of you for the role you will play in creating long overdue change.
Sincerely,
Mike Allen, PhD
President