We, the McMullen Student Ambassadors, stand in solidarity with Black Students at Boston College and unequivocally and directly denounce all forms of racism, hatred, intolerance, and violence against the Black communities on campus and in society-at-large. We recognize that racism is real and manifests in many forms, most prominently as anti-Black police brutality and violence. Throughout global and U.S. history, the institution of racism is rooted in a legacy of colonialism, slavery, and dominance of Black and Brown people. We have not properly grappled with these institutions or their legacies, and their effects reverberate around the country and the world. As a result, racism and colorism are embedded in the structures of society, including our academic institutions.
We remain in solidarity with the Black and Indigenous communities in the U.S. and around the world. We recognize the recent injustices against Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery, among countless other victims of anti-Black violence, and outwardly condemn these injustices. We recognize the lasting and compounding effects of generational trauma within the Black community, which marks a great failure of this country to uphold liberty and justice for all.
As such, we are committed to combating these direct and indirect forms of racism, as well as intersecting injustices including, but not limited to: colorism, homophobia, transphobia, misogynoir, ableism, fatphobia, and classism within our community here at the museum, at Boston College, and beyond. Below are the following policies that we, as Student Ambassadors, have promised to adopt to combat the systematic disease of racism:
- We have created and will maintain an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, composed of the McMullen Manager of Education, the McMullen Programming Graduate Assistant, and Student Ambassadors to bring EDI to the forefront of all of our work, interactions, and efforts at the McMullen Museum.
- We aim to amplify black voices in our daily interactions and promotions of art, museums, and academia via social media, Student Ambassador hiring, exhibition programming, and outreach.
- We commit to having tough conversations with peers, colleagues, and community members around racial justice and social justice, and will encourage them to do their own research on matters as well as take AADS courses, as well as participate in the Forum on Racial Justice at Boston College’s numerous programs.
- We will call out and report incidents of racism when they happen.
- We will reach out directly to diverse student organizations on campus to provide resources, collaborate on programming, and encourage members to apply to become a Student Ambassador.
- We will alter our Student Ambassador hiring process to take into account diversity instead of being color blind by including a question on race/ethnicity in our application form.
- We will continue to encourage feedback amongst our peers, listen to their experiences, and recognize their concerns. We acknowledge that the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion will require indefinite attention and continued critical self-reflection.