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Mason President Gregory Washington (left) and College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Ann Ardis (right) in the GMU-TV studio with panelists appearing remotely for the "Racial Justice, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion" Freedom and Learning Forum. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services
Understanding what anti-racism, diversity and inclusion mean for George Mason ĢAV was just one of the goals of Monday’s Freedom and Learning forum hosted by President Gregory Washington.
Ensuring a common definition of the terms helps create meaningful dialogue, and helps the Mason community understand the work of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force. The group was formed by Washington in response to both the high-profile death of George Floyd at the hands of police and the nationwide racial justice movement.
“We shouldn’t – we cannot – run away from these discussions,” Washington said. “We have to have engagement on these topics.”
Washington asked the task force to look deeper into Mason’s environment, policies and practices to see what changes are needed to ensure the university can remain a national model for diversity and inclusion.
Monday’s hour-long open dialogue, , touched on many of those key issues.
Washington was joined in the GMU-TV studio by moderator , the dean of the . Panelists included and Shernita Parker, the co-chairs of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force; Provost and Executive Vice President ; Creston Lynch, the associate dean for ĢAV Life; and Milagros “Millie” Rivera, Mason’s director of Diversity, Inclusion and Well-Being.
Manuel-Scott, a professor of history in the within CHSS and the former director of the African and African-American Studies Program, said the aim of the task force was to create an anti-racist institution that fully supports the entire Mason community.
“Race matters,” she said. “Race, historically speaking, has always mattered in the United States of America. … Race mattered in George Mason’srevolutionary era, to the civilrights, to the Obama era, tothe age of COVID that we areall existing in right now.Race matters, and therefore wemust engage in strategies andpolicies that help to disruptthose structures so that we cancreate a more inclusiveinstitution.”
Eradicating the practices, structures and traditions of racial bias at Mason won’t happen overnight, but Washington and the other panelists expressed confidence that the Mason community can serve as a national exemplar of anti-racism, reconciliation and healing.
Interpretations can differ, so Washington made a point of clearly defining all the terms at the outset, most notably characterizing anti-racism as “a verb, in that it’s a form of action against racism and also the systematic racism of marginalized groups.” In other words, he explained, it’s not enough to believe that racism is wrong; an anti-racist has to consciously take action against racism in all its forms.
“Diversity encompasses race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, as well as cultural, religious or other affiliations,” he said, while “inclusion is the intentional and ongoing acceptance and engagement of diversity as it relates to diverse groups.”
Parker said that the work of the task force and its many committees shows how the Mason community is living the university’s values.
“To thrive togetherwe have to recognize ourinterdependence, our connectionto each other and that as acommunity, it is critical thatwe make sure all voices areheard,” Parker said. “…we will not and cannot thriveindividually and as a communityif we are not conscious of thechallenges that we face as itrelates to diversity andinclusive excellence, and thatwe work actively to address andovercome those challenges.”
Mason is the state’s largest, most diverse public research university with more than 38,000 students, a majority of whom are students of color. But those numbers are not reflected in a faculty comprised of just four percent African-Americans. Improving those numbers will require a multi-pronged approach, but will be a high priority, Rivera said. Studies have shown that a more diverse staff leads to stronger student success outcomes, particularly among underrepresented groups and first-generation students.
Efforts to make the university more inclusive should be of paramount concern to all students, not just those of color or marginalized groups, Ginsberg said.
“If you care about our university, then you have to care about this agenda,” he said. “The successful future of our university is, in large part, dependent upon us caring about this agenda.”
Washington said that he welcomes respectful dissenting voices to the conversation as part of free speech.
Manuel-Scott said she looked forward to the day when all minds and bodies can experience the complete support of the university community and be their ancestors’ “wildest dreams.”
“It’s an ongoing process,” she said, “but it’s righteous and good. Together, we are creating a better institution.”
The and the have been co-sponsoring the Freedom and Learning Forums since 2014.
The task force will continue to take questions; .