As protests continue across the nation after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans at the hands of police officers, universities are analyzing their own biases and implementing initiatives and conversations on campus for the fall semester to address systemic racism and police brutality.
Last week, San Diego State University’s (SDSU) senate unanimously passed a resolution that established the “Race-Relations in Criminal Justice” course. The coursework will focus on Black lives and policing and will be a graduation requirement for criminal justice students.
“I hope that [the course] will change every interaction that [students] have with young Black and Brown children in ways that ensure that the negative relationships that exists often times between those in law enforcement and those in Black and Brown communities is alleviated,” said Dr. J. Luke Wood, vice president of student affairs and campus diversity at SDSU. “But ultimately, I hope that [students] will leave SDSU with the overwhelming commitment to the importance of Black Lives Matter.”
The program will be taught by an SDSU criminal justice faculty member whose research analyzes racial dynamics and law enforcement.
“As we prepare people to go out to the field, we need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to ensure that they are committed to serving all communities well and treat[ing] all communities with dignity and respect,” said Wood, who is also a distinguished professor of education at SDSU. “And at the same time, we’re also thinking about those who are already in the field who clearly need more preparation and development and how we can reach them to ensure that they’re getting the development that they need.”
The resolution also calls for the creation of low-cost training programs for law enforcement across the country. Wood said the university regularly provides training and development to its campus police department.
“I’d love to be able to get to a point where other police departments are similarly committed to preparing their people to be able to engage with diverse populations in healthy ways,” he added.
