Salisbury University Anti-Racism Summit
SU strives to be a leader in addressing structural oppression and institutional racism in many organizations and communities. The Anti-Racism Summit is part of a broader institutional effort to be intentional about talking about racism and its effects on SU and organizational systems in general; teaching concepts and solutions for positive social change that address institutional, structural and interpersonal racism; and doing the necessary and difficult work personally and collectively to improve race relations at SU and in our various communities. The annual summit may include guest presenters, panel discussions, topical sessions, student spoken word, and/or campus updates on diversity and inclusion efforts.
3rd Annual Anti-Racism Summit
What Does It Mean To Be Anti-Racist?: Developing An Everyday Practice
- Date: April 17, 2023
- Time: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Location: Guerrieri Student Union, Wicomico Room
Keynote Speaker: Howard Ross
Howard Ross is a lifelong social justice advocate and is considered one of the world’s seminal thought leaders on identifying and addressing unconscious bias. He is the author of ReInventing Diversity: Transforming Organizational Community to Strengthen People, Purpose and Performance, and the Washington Post best seller, Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives. His latest book, Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tearing Us Apart, won the 2019 Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal for Social Change and Social Justice. Howard has specialized in the synthesis of neuro-cognitive and social science research and direct application re: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Accessibility work. His client work has focused on the areas of corporate culture change, leadership development, and managing diversity. Ross has successfully implemented large-scale organizational culture change efforts in the area of managing diversity and cultural integration in academic institutions, professional services corporations, Fortune 500 companies, and retail, health care, media, and governmental institutions in 47 of the United States and over 40 countries worldwide.
Impetus and Rationale for the Summit
- This summit connects directly to the University Strategic Plan. Strategy 2.1.4. states: " Expand educational opportunities and training for students that support the development of an understanding of equity, anti-racist behavior, bystander response and diversity."
- Societal and institutional circumstances contribute to the need for the event:
- historical, recent, current, and anticipated social and civil unrest in the United States related to racial injustice, police brutality towards people of color (particularly Black males), social injustice, white privilege, and increases in hate crimes and intimidation related to white nationalism;
- perceived and real concerns among students and employees about historical and current racial injustice and white privilege; and
- discontent among some faculty related to the lack of advancement of a required diversity course integrated into General Education.
- The summit fulfills a recommendation included in the June 2020 Faculty Learning Communities’ (FLC) Anti-Racism Statement.
- Finally, the summit is an appropriate “next step” to building on SU’s 2019’s 400 Years of Resilience Series, which educated the campus community on the effects of racism that sustained slavery in America and the resilience and accomplishments of African Americans post-slavery
Summit Goals
- Continue “courageous conversations” related to race, racism, healing and reconciliation;
- Deepen campus conversations related to concepts of structural, institutional and interpersonal racism; white supremacy and white nationalism in America; and white privilege;
- Develop and/or share strategies for becoming anti-racist individuals and an anti-racist university (check out SU's Anti-Racism Resources); and
- Set the stage for anti-racist activities after the summit.