Anti-Racism and Justice Statement
The Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences condemns systemic racism and oppression and stands by our students, faculty, and clients who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. We are committed to eradicating racism and its destructive impact on the social, emotional, economic, and physical health of individuals and communities. Given our 470-year Jesuit history, we embrace the Ignatian ideals of justice and equity. We acknowledge our role in perpetuating systemic racism and white supremacy through unconscious bias, microaggression, racial violence, privilege, and complicity through non-action. Restless and energized, we are determined to dismantle the long-standing oppressive history that has unfairly treated our BIPOC brothers, sisters, and neighbors. We pledge to combat complacency through anti-racist principles and purposeful anti-racist practices. We further pledge to root out overt and covert discrimination against all minoritized groups, continually promoting, advancing, and evaluating equity-minded practices that support and value all individuals. Our department is centered around the belief that all people – across all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual preferences, and abilities - should be afforded the opportunity to communicate effectively. As professionals who value communication, we will amplify the voice of those who have been silenced for too long and will speak out and take action against the systemic racism that has been entrenched in our society for centuries. Similarly, we will listen to those who experience the injustices that have caused deep pain, fear, and suffering from acts of racism. We approach this work with humility, hope, and an unwavering commitment to support our students, faculty, and all members of our SLHS community with foundational knowledge of the impacts of racial history, awareness of privilege, and courage to speak up and speak out to injustice, while centering the voices and lived experiences of BIPOC community members.
Our plan will be dynamic, responsive, and ongoing, with action items focusing on:
- faculty training and support
- student training and support
- equity-minded admission and retention of students
- equity-conscious hiring and retention of faculty
We remain accountable to all those whose lives are touched, directly and indirectly, by our collective work.
