Dear A&S students, faculty and staff,

Recently our campus received the results of the Campus Climate Pulse Survey. Led by Dr. Damon Williams of the University of Wisconsin’s Equity & Inclusion Laboratory, the findings conveyed a stark and distressing reality: large numbers of our community feel marginalized, unsupported, and alone.

On November 3, 2020, I commemorated Election Day by wearing a shirt that listed these names: Ida [B. Wells], Maya [Angelou], Fannie Lou [Hammer], Harriet [Tubman], and Sojourner [Truth]. I wanted to honor the legacy that Black women have had in Black liberation and in demanding justice and accountability of the U.S. in the face of its democratic ideals.

This is the first of what I hope will be periodic updates on our plan and actions to expand equity and inclusion, underway at A&S since 2017.