Anti-racism Resources

Art and Art History Statement on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence:

The Department of Art and Art History affirms the power of art to transform individuals and society. We are committed to the practice, production, critical and historical study of art within a liberal arts education that encourages experimentation and independence of thought. 

Our faculty offers a rigorous curriculum that crosses disciplines and invites inquisitive, dedicated students with wide-ranging interests, encouraging creative investigation as an essential skill informed by the highest standards of critical thought. Our diverse faculty, students, and staff are committed to ongoing engagement with communities locally and globally. 

Link to Art & Art History's full statement

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In Solidarity with Black Lives Matter

The Department of Art & Art History at the University of Colorado Boulder stands in solidarity with Black Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement. We are infuriated by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, David McAtee, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. We demand justice for the family of George Floyd and all families who have lost loved ones to racist police violence. We support the ongoing demonstrations, marches and rallies which are a cornerstone of our Constitution. We decry the ongoing brutality against peaceful protestors by law enforcement. Our commitment to the well-being and safety of our students is now greater than ever. Through these turbulent but necessary times, we are learning to listen. 

 

  • We vow to create an inclusive and accessible platform that will amplify historically silenced voices.
  • We acknowledge that our education system is fraught with inherent biases. There is much unlearning to do. We vow to readily accept criticism for this reason.
  • We will be self-critical and implement measures that ensure a safe, fair and equitable learning environment.

We accept our responsibility to vehemently oppose white supremacy and racism in all forms and commit to abolish the systemic racism found within academia and the arts. The recent demonstrations and protests across the country and world provide the opportunity for deep change to begin. Institutional and systemic racism across all sectors can no longer be tolerated. This moment is long overdue. There is much work to be done. As a first step, we will explore the following initiatives.

  • Increase course offerings and access to course materials that highlight diverse perspectives and populations
  • Develop scholarships for students of color
  • Intercultural competency training for faculty, staff, and students
  • Support student initiated activities that invite participation from Black American students and students of color
  • Reimagine our visiting artists and scholar programs to focus on social justice and inclusion
  • Actively participate in the recruitment and retention of Black American students and students of color

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., ā€œThere comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.ā€

Stop AAPI Hate

The Boulder Faculty Assembly Statement:

We, the Boulder Faculty Assembly Diversity Committee of the University of Colorado Boulder, believe that it is important for CU Boulder to reaffirm our commitment to diversity by ensuring the safety and security of all our students, faculty, staff, and communities. We deplore the anti-Asian racism and recent horrific events that were also denounced by the Chancellor. We include the Chancellorā€™s statement on anti-Asian racism and discrimination that was published March 17, 2021 and We express public heartfelt support for the victims and their families and ask the university leadership to take the necessary steps to actively create and maintain an inclusive, welcoming, and safe place on our campus. In accordance with our commitments to Inclusive Excellence and CU Boulderā€™s 2030 Strategic Goals, we must all act in support of the learning and growth of all students in our CU Boulder community.

We would like to call attention to the following resources:

Campus support resources:

Reporting acts of discrimination:

Need to talk to someone? Tap into campus resources such as CAPS, FSAP and OVA:

Share your thoughts with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement:

Explore anti-racism events, discussions and resources at CU Boulder:

External resources:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship

  • We believe that the arts have the power to transform individuals and to transform society.

  • Studying art promotes close looking, creative thinking, and problem-solving.

  • Educating students from all backgrounds is an incredibly effective way to help us change our world for the better.

Donating towards our scholarship fund, you will make a tremendous difference in someoneā€™s life by giving them an education in the artsā€”and giving them the chance to change the world.

Talking About Race
To create an equal society, we must commit to making unbiased choices and being antiracist in all aspects of our lives.

We offer these resources to the campus community as we grieve, feel anger and are moved to act in the wake of ongoing police brutality towards Black people and people of color.

Center for Teaching and Learning

Teaching inclusively means embracing student diversity in all forms ā€” such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, gender identity, socioeconomic background, ideology, and even personality traits like introversion ā€” as an asset. It means designing and teaching courses in ways that foster success for all our students. It further means mindfully removing barriers for traditionally underserved students by actively fostering a sense of belonging, providing equitable access to course materials, and creating a safe classroom environment. 

   J. Fitzgerald Pickens II, President, Black Student Alliance, CU Boulder

J. Fitzgerald Pickens II, Past President, Black Student Alliance, CU Boulder

The Inclusive Communities of Practice (ICoP) was created a few years ago with the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement hosted various speakers to spark conversation about inclusive excellence. Through those workshops, an email list was created called the "Inclusivity Network". As ICoP evolved, a mission was created: to provide opportunities where faculty, staff and students can talk openly about addressing issues of inequity and oppression, and work on developing inclusive practices for everyday lived experiences on campus, in the classroom, research environments, and in the workplace. The course is listed in Canvas.

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Office of Diversity, Equity & Community Engagement

CU Boulder recognizes its obligation to redress systemic racism and to foster a campus culture that confronts racism and promotes equity for students, faculty and staff. CU Boulder commits to taking a series of immediate actions in advance of the Fall 2020 semester. These actions are CU Boulderā€™s initial response and will be augmented with other actions that will occur in the Fall and Spring semesters, as well as long-term actions that will extend into Academic Year 2021. Additionally, these actions will be coordinated as part of the implementation of the Inclusion, Diversity and Excellence in Academics (IDEA) Plan, approved earlier this year, through which we will drive priorities moving forward.

   Petition development by Ruth Woldemichael & Olivia Gardner, BSA members, Black Student Alliance

The mission of the BU Center for Antiracist Research is to convene varied researchers and practitioners to figure out novel and practical ways to understand, explain, and solve seemingly intractable problems of racial inequity and injustice.

Black Student Alliance, University of Colorado Boulder

BSA Organizational Statement: As students, we have developed distinct values, beliefs and behaviors, which greatly benefit our campus. This collective consciousness enables our community and helps define our own identity as Black & underrepresented students at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The Black Student Alliance is an organization that serves as an advocate of the Black/African American student and as ally to all other underrepresented voices on campus.

We wish to expose all students, faculty, and staff of the University of Colorado Boulder to new ideas and experiences in order to create positive change.

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Inclusive teaching practices require us to engage the wealth of intersecting social identities and positionalities that faculty and students bring to the classroom. Whether face-to-face or online, inclusion must not be an afterthought. Rather, it should permeate every aspect of curriculum and course design, classroom management, and assessment of teaching and learning.

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Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.

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We work to help leaders change their worldā€”and the world needs changing. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the loss of far too many Black lives to list, have left our nation anguished and outraged. While now is a time for grief and anger, it is also a time for resolve. Find resources to learn what you can do to create a more just and equitable world.

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Essay by Catherine Grant and Dorothy Price (published Jan. 22, 2020)
Whilst postcolonial studies and critical race studies have been informing and challenging the shape of art history for several decades, new generations of students, scholars, critics, curators, collectors, artists and audiences are seeking radical reā€evaluations of the academy and those cultural institutions who hold themselves up as standardā€bearers of our collective cultural heritage. But, what, if anything, is specific about the current moment's demands to reassess how universities, museums, and galleries teach, research, collect and exhibit? How can art historians, curators, collectors, museum directors, artists and writers respond to the call to decolonize art history? How can we draw from the rich legacy of postcolonial, feminist, queer and Marxist perspectives within art history, and what are the new theoretical perspectives that are needed?

Abe Odedina, Beulah's Garden , 2018