Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, arguably one of the nation’s most recognized college presidents, is outlining ways that colleges and universities can tackle — and reverse — structural racism amid the racial tensions which 2020 has exacerbated.
“Reversing structural racism requires us to first understand how deeply rooted this challenge of racism is in our society,” said Hrabowski, president of Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County. “This isn’t about one element or simply about the police or health care. It’s about every aspect of our society. And so, to reverse structural racism means we want to eliminate it, quite frankly. We want to eliminate discrimination against people based on race, ethnicity in our society.”
Dr. James L. Moore III, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and the chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University, couldn’t agree more.
“Our goal is not just to mitigate racism. Our goal is to eliminate racism,” said Moore, who is also the executive director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male. “Now some might say that might not be achievable, but it will never happen if you don’t set it as a goal.”
These efforts “don’t happen overnight,” added Hrabowski III in an interview with Diverse. But starting off with a framework to tackle structural racism is the first step. At UMBC, that means utilizing a book he co-wrote titled, The Empowered University, which examines how colleges and universities can create the best, holistic possible experiences for students and faculty.
Hrabowski shares this work with other universities and leadership teams across the country to help shape and reshape the culture of the institution and society.
How? By “looking in the mirror,” he explained.
