AntiRacist Statement

The College of Arts and Sciences empathetically states that there is no place in our college, university, or society for racial injustice, discrimination, or police brutality. Recent deaths of Black people such as Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many more at the hands of racist elements and police have once again reminded us of Dr. King’s teachings, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”

To the students who bravely shared their experiences on Twitter using #BlackatKState and to all our students, we stand with you to uphold K-State’s Principles of Community and challenge any racist and prejudiced conduct at K-State. We will do better and continue to promote an environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all students who choose to attend K-State.

The College of Arts and Sciences’ first and foremost commitment is that we will listen to students who have experienced racial discrimination within our college and report these occurrences to appropriate campus entities who deal with diversity, equity, and inclusion such as the office of the University’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and the Office of Institutional Equity. We are eager to expand upon our efforts to address student concerns and ensure that our college and K-State become a better place for every person.

The College of Arts and Sciences’ Diversity Committee, and in particular a recently established Antiracist Working Group, will foster conversations and dialogues with our campus community more about the topic of antiracism. This group will act in the following ways:

• Review and analyze college policies, practices, and procedures for any negative impact on marginalized populations and advocate for change.
• Partner with campus and community groups to establish book clubs centered around Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How to Be an Antiracist and other books that discuss the implications of racism.
• Develop and promote more faculty and staff educational resources for antiracist action. We encourage our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to learn with us by exploring Kendi’s book as well as other resources such as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture’s “Being Antiracist” website.
• Improve our curriculum by broadening our college’s offering of U.S. Multicultural Overlay and asking each department to review their existing coursework to better reflect the diversity within each respective discipline.
• Further develop and expand existing events such as the Civil Rights Teach-In and Student Diversity Summit.
• Work together with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and campus police to advocate for practices that adhere to antiracist standards.

Please share other ideas for making our college and K-State a better place for everyone with Dr. Kimathi Choma, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Recruitment, and Retention in the College of Arts and Sciences, at kchoma@ksu.edu. We look forward to partnering with all who are committed to further the cause of antiracism and developing unity and inclusivity at our college and at K-State.