Dear SSW community,
I am writing to provide an update on our work since receiving the open letter from Erin Matthews and the Council for Students of Color executive board on June 5, 2020. At the heart of it, this letter echoes themes that are painfully familiar to so many in our community. These themes speak to the painful ways—both large and small—that white supremacy is embedded in our systems and processes resulting in harm experienced by Black identified instructors, advisers and students despite our commitment to anti-racism.
Over the years we have made many changes, all with the goal of removing racial bias as it manifests within policies and practices. These changes have been important, and play a role in addressing these problems, but they do not address the more fundamental changes that are needed to transform a system.
I have set as a priority for myself and the faculty that we make those fundamental changes that will ensure SSW is an academic home where Black-identified students, faculty, staff, other folks of color and/or those who hold marginalized identities may bring their full selves and thrive. We must attend to issues of access through increased scholarships and sustainable systems of support. We must make changes to our structures and processes to include honest evaluation, real accountability, and restorative justice when harm is experienced.
The faculty and I understand that ensuring representation on our own faculty is critical to creating a school where Black, Indigenous and other POC voices and experiences are made more central. In the many faculty discussions we have had in the past weeks, we have held closely to the call to recruit Black-identified scholars to join the resident faculty. We will hold a faculty search in 2020-2021. The faculty have voted to significantly change the composition of the committee that will spearhead the search process to include community members beyond resident faculty. The committee will be comprised of:
- 3 Resident faculty
- 2 students (M.S.W. and Ph.D.)
- 2 SSW community members (i.e. alumni, adjunct, field adviser, emeritus faculty)
- 1 outside faculty member from Smith College or the Five College consortium
The committee will be co-chaired by a resident faculty member and another member of the committee and will be intentionally composed to ensure that voices of SSW’s Black identified community are amplified.
We have much work to do. There are many important decisions ahead and we must take time to rebuild and earn trust. I will be updating you regularly as this work develops and we begin the search process. In the meantime, I hope you will join us for one of the scheduled Q&A sessions. The first will be held on July 15 at 7 p.m. ET and the second will be held on July 22 at noon ET. The purpose of these sessions is to open communication. I’ll be answering questions directly.
If you would like to submit feedback in advance of those sessions you may continue to reach me at sswdean@smith.edu or via our anonymous form.
With appreciation,
Marianne Yoshioka
Dean | Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor
Smith College School for Social Work
