Racial Justice Action Planning
We can improve at many levels, from the individual to the institutional. Racial justice action planning focuses on the departmental level.
While some departments have been doing this work for years, this initiative engages every department in a common process of education, reflection and action planning. If, for any reason, you have concerns about participation, please communicate with your manager, human resources business partner and/or the vice president for equity and inclusion.
Please fill out this form to help us schedule and support an action-planning process that works for your department.
“Because Smith was not originally designed for the diverse students, staff and faculty that we have now, we are called to reflect on our past and present to build a more just and inclusive future.”
—from Smith College’a Toward Racial Justice strategic plan
Departmental planning efforts provide the opportunity for broad reflection on increasing our impact in programs, services, curriculum and learning environments related to diversity, equity and inclusion. This is a chance for departments to celebrate and expand on their successes in these areas, as well as to identify ways in which departments hope to deepen their work over the next several years.
For more information on the Racial Justice Plan, please read our Racial Justice Action Plan for Academic and Administrative Departments.
Racial Justice Action Planning Grant
With the support of President McCartney, the Office for Equity and Inclusion will provide grants to units engaged in racial justice action planning. This grant aims to support units with the implementation of their action steps that are part of their racial justice action plan.
This is a 2 to 1 matching grant, meaning the grant fund will contribute 2x what the unit contributes (e.g. if the unit contributes $100, the grant contributes $200 for a total of $300). Therefore, units must first request and receive a promise of funding from their unit head to be able to apply for funds.
- Applicants should demonstrate how their use of the grant funds supports the Towards Racial Justice Principles.
- Funds may not be used to pay Smith students, staff or faculty.
- Funds may not be used to pay for food.
- Funds must be used during the unit’s action planning timeline.
- Funds should be used to support the goals and vision of the unit's racial justice action plan.
- Grants may range in size from $1,000 to $10,000.
- The grant uses a rolling deadline.
Ideas for the use of the grant include but are not limited to buying books, access to webinars, art/images that reflect the diversity of the unit's audience, and professional associations with dues, and conference fees.
In this time of urgent racial crisis, we emerge from ongoing planning into powerful action.
With recommendations from our Toward Racial Justice at Smith plan, Smith College continues its commitment to transparency, to inclusivity and to racial justice at Smith. Informed by student, staff and faculty voices to Inclusion in Action work, as well as student and alumnae/i demands, discussions with the Inclusion Council and Presidents’ Cabinet, the college commits to action.