AUSTIN, Texas ― As the killing of unarmed Black youth by law enforcement continues to become more common, community colleges are finding ways to combat the generationally deep divisions between minorities and the police, incorporate diversity best practices on campuses, and identify success indicators for males at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) conference.
The estimated 1,300 NISOD community college faculty, staff and administrator attendees took in sessions on social justice responses to conflict, 21st century diversity concerns and male student keys to success.
Jeffrey P. Forrest, interim dean of business and human development at St. Louis Community College, conducted the session “Crisis in Ferguson: A Community College Responds” to demonstrate what colleges can do to circumvent detrimental stigmas plaguing communities such as the events surrounding the death of Michael Brown.
He said a job fair, hosted by the St. Louis chapter of the National Urban League in partnership with St. Louis Community College’s Florissant Valley campus, sparked a renewed sense of purpose for Ferguson residents. Community listening circle sessions and skilled trade expos, among many other programs, also indicated that Florissant Valley was picking up the pieces of a broken community dating back over five decades of economic decline.
“Florissant Valley wasn’t just sitting on the sideline hoping things would get better; we were officially in the game,” said Forrest.
Ferguson, Missouri’s 63 percent African-American Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College sits 2.8 miles away from where Brown was gunned down. The 700-plus residents who attend the college are seeing improvements in outcomes, but were not before the Brown incident, according to North St. Louis County native Forrest.
“When a municipality loses its job base, when it loses it families that are producing wealth, the county had to find a way to make up for that income,” said Forrest. “What do you do? Find a new revenue stream. It will come from an African-American who is driving too fast. We will ticket ourselves into solvency.
