Racial Rights at Milligan University
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We ask that you answer to the Milligan community and its requests - can you promise to Milligan that you will begin working toward racial reconciliation: approaching this topic with humility and grace, following the example Christ taught us - listening to one another, learning from one another, repenting from our sins, and moving towards change, including (but not limited to) the steps outlined below.
Immediate Requests:
- Develop a more robust office of multicultural engagement. Create two full time positions in the Department of Multicultural Engagement, including a full time position for the Director of Multicultural Engagement. Expand the department to foster diversity beyond the bounds of GOAH in order to support the needs of our diverse students and challenge the community towards racial justice.
- Public documentation of the Multi-Ethnic Resource Team’s review findings and suggestions for growth. Full transparency to the Milligan Community through published meeting agendas, meeting minutes, proposals, motions of descent, and implementation techniques.
- Increase diversity in all levels of leadership including: the Presidential Cabinet, the Board of Trustees, the Board of Advisors, Administration, and Faculty.
- In the process of taking these steps and continuing the journey you have already started with the Multi-Ethnic Resource team, we request a review board and committee of POC comprised of faculty, staff, students, and community members actively monitoring the growth, asking “where are we failing,” and always striving towards bringing justice, reconciliation, understanding, and most of all, love for one another.
Long-Term Requests:
- Host intentional dialogue in the community about racial justice (globally, locally, and at Milligan. These conversations should push us to dismantle white supremacy not just intellectualize the problem.
- Prioritize hiring people of color as faculty and administrators.
- Commit to quality institutional training about racial justice and reconciliation for every employee, faculty, staff, and administration.
- As part of the training, start accountability groups for implementing the needed change across campus
- Be forthcoming about Milligan’s history related to race relations including its embarrassingly late integration in the late 1960s (Helsabeck, Halloway, & Foster, 2009)
- A public statement of apology for the ways Milligan has perpetuated the sin of racism and white supremacy.
- Offer direct support services to people of color.
- Fund and promote interracial research projects.
- Engage with social justice groups on campus. Engage with local community leaders in social justice such as the New Generation Freedom Fighters.
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