Whereas, The California Community Colleges Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement characterizes the California Community Colleges System as follows:
As a collective community of individual colleges, we are invested in cultivating and maintaining a climate where equity and mutual respect are both intrinsic and explicit by valuing individuals and groups from all backgrounds, demographics, and experiences. Individual and group differences can include, but are not limited to the following dimensions: race, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, political beliefs, religion, creed, military or veteran status, socioeconomic status, and any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Inclusivity Statement
recognizes the benefits to students, faculty, and the community college system gained from the variety of personal experiences, values, and views of a diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds. This diversity includes but is not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, age, cultural background, veteran status, discipline or field, and experience. We also understand that the California Community College System itself is diverse in terms of the size, location, and student population of its colleges and districts, and we seek participation from faculty across the system. The Academic Senate respects and is committed to promoting equal opportunity and inclusion of diverse voices and opinions. We endeavor to have a diversity of talented faculty participate in Academic Senate activities and support local senates in recruiting and encouraging faculty with different backgrounds to serve on Academic Senate standing committees and task forces. In particular, the Academic Senate acknowledges the need to remove barriers to the recruitment and participation of talented faculty from historically excluded populations in society; [1]
Whereas, To eliminate institutional discrimination, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges strives to do the following:
- To integrate an accurate portrayal of the roles and contributions of all groups throughout history across curricula, particularly groups that have been underrepresented historically,
- To identify how bias, stereotyping, and discrimination have limited the roles and contributions of individuals and groups and how these limitations have challenged and continue to challenge our society,
- To encourage all members of the educational community to examine assumptions and prejudices, including but not limited to racism, sexism, and homophobia, that might limit the opportunities and growth of students and employees,
- To offer positive and diverse role models in our society, including the recruitment, hiring, and promotion of diverse employees in community colleges,
- To coordinate with organizations and concerned agencies that promote the contributions, heritage, culture, history, and health and care needs of diverse population groups, and
- To promote a safe and inclusive environment for all; and
Whereas, Racism and racial discrimination threaten human development because of the obstacles that they pose to the fulfillment to basic human rights to survival, security, development, and social participation, because racism has been shown to have negative cognitive, behavioral, affective, and relational effects on both child and adult victims nationally and globally, historically and contemporarily, and because racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance have been shown to be attitudes and behaviors that are learned;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges denounce racism for its negative psychological, social, educational, and economic effects on human development throughout the lifespan;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, to eliminate institutional discrimination, take steps to not only strive for a greater knowledge about and the celebration of diversity but also to support deeper training that reveals the inherent racism embedded in societal institutions in the United States, including the educational system, and asks individuals to examine their personal role in the support of racist structures and the commitment to work to dismantle structural racism; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges infuse Anti- Racism/No Hate Education in all its activities and professional development opportunities to the degree that doing so is feasible.
MSC