UW TACOMA RACE & EQUITY INITIATIVE

Dear Campus Community,

In April of 2015, President Ana Mari Cauce established the Race and Equity Initiative, noting that race and equity are central to the University of Washington’s core mission and personally important to her, as well as to UW faculty, staff, and administrators. During her speech President Cauce reminded us that “societal justice isn’t a destination, a problem that can be solved in a one and done manner, it’s a struggle… you keep working.” It is in this vein that we, the Race and Equity Initiative Committee, structure our work plan for the future. This is a living document, one that will be continually updated as this committee vows to “keep working.” The Race and Equity Initiative seeks to ensure that students, faculty and staff at the University of Washington are equipped with the resources and tools needed to effectively dialogue on issues of Race & Equity and to actively work toward social justice. It is through this larger work that we, the Race and Equity Committee, hope to address concerns and challenges such as a shared understanding of equity models, the lack of faculty and staff of color, and the retention of students, faculty and staff on campus. The attached plan lays out the goals and strategies of the University of Washington Tacoma’s Race and Equity Initiative. Within the next year, we hope to facilitate the campus transitioning from a model in which Equality is championed to one which is centered on Equity. This marked difference in approaches means that we as a campus will recognize the historical context that populations of our campus come from and that our programs and initiatives are tailored to suit.

We understand and are proud to note that across our three campuses — within our schools, colleges and programs — departments, centers, enterprises, programs and groups of individuals have set goals of their own for improving the UW experience of students, faculty and staff of color. We hope that the goals and action steps of the Race and Equity Initiative will support that work and extend it, enabling us together to make the University of Washington more equitable.

In Service,

Race & Equity Initiative Committee