Senates come together to adopt pledge
The Contra Costa Community College District academic senates held a joint meeting to discuss adopting an anti-racism pledge.
DVC Academic Senate President Dr. John Freytag and CCC Academic Senate President Katherine Krolikowski joined LMC Academic Senate President Dr. James Noel at the tri-senate meeting held Feb. 1.
February 6, 2021
The Los Medanos College, Diablo Valley College and Contra Costa College Academic Senates kicked off Black History Month by unanimously adopting an anti-racism pledge Feb.1 at a tri-senate meeting.
The pledge was drafted in and adopted by the ASCCC during the fall 2020 virtual plenary session, along with multiple other resolutions that strive to create an equitable institution for all.
A portion of the pledge reads,
“Identify how racism, bias, stereotyping and discrimination have limited the roles and contributions of individuals and groups, and how these limitations challenged and continue to challenge our society.”
LMC Academic Senate President Dr. James Noel described how quickly the joint senate came together to pass the pledge.
“I know teaching remotely can be quite quite difficult but it’s amazing how quickly we met late last week and we figured out a way to kind of get everyone together,” said Noel.
The initial wording of the ASCCC pledge was geared towards faculty, but DVC Academic Senate President Dr. John Freytag said the senates want all members of the Contra Costa Community College District to consider taking the pledge.
“This can be a pledge somebody takes as an individual or with a coworker, or at the programmatic or department level,” said Freytag.
One concern was brought by senate member Janice Townsend, regarding a previous anti-racism resolution that was passed by the LMC senate back in October of 2020. Townsend wanted to make sure that this new pledge and the actions that come from it will connect back to the previous resolution.
“When we take action as a senate I want us to always tie it back to that document, I would like that this ties to our very first organizational value,” said Townsend.
When the senates took a vote on the pledge, all 37 members present voted yes to adopt it district-wide. Noel said after the vote that he will make time in future senate meetings to discuss the next steps in making sure they follow through with the pledge. Noel will also be co-hosting the upcoming LMC Town Hall Feb. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. via Zoom.
The Town Hall is “intended to support and strengthen our ongoing efforts — as individuals, and as a college community —to fight racism, anti-Blackness and inequality,” wrote LMC President Bob Kratochvil.
If you would like to attend the next LMC academic senate meeting or view the agenda of the meetings, you can find that information on the senate website. The Zoom link to attend the LMC Town Hall can be found here.
