21 January 2022 Dear members of the Eastman community, On 29 April 2021, I provided a progress report about actions and initiatives that had occurred between November 2020 and April 2021 in response to the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice (EACRJ) Report and Recommendations (https://www.esm.rochester.edu/diversity/justice/). Please accept this current update on actions and initiatives…
29 April 2021 Dear Colleagues, Please accept this progress report on actions and initiatives that have been occurring throughout the fall and spring semesters on behalf of Eastman’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many of the elements below emanate out of the powerful report released in early November by the Eastman Action Commission for…
April 21, 2021 Dear members of the Eastman Community, With the announcement of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, we can reflect back on the last eleven months, recognizing the unrest and difficulties that have faced society, the University, and the Eastman community. While this past year has presented unprecedented challenges, it has also provided…
November 2, 2020 Dear Members of the Eastman Community, This past June, I invited twenty members of the Eastman Community—students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners—to serve on the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice. At that time, I wrote, “The time is now for Eastman to take bold and decisive actions that do more…
September 3, 2020 Dear Members of the Eastman Community, I was horrified and saddened yesterday as I watched the video of the arrest of Daniel Prude, an unarmed Black man in custody of Rochester police. This heinous act, along with the many others which have become unacceptably familiar in our country, are an affront to…
August 21, 2020 Dear Members of the Eastman Community: As we get ready to start the new 2020-2021 school year, we would like to give you the latest update on the work of the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice. The experience of this 20-member Commission, whose work began in June, has been very profound…
Dear Staff Members of the Eastman School of Music, Thank you so much for the expressions of interest, support, and encouragement that you have shared with us at the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice since we began our work in June. Many of you have helped us in concrete and specific ways with some…
Dear Members of the Eastman Community, Thank you for the many messages of interest, support, and encouragement that you have shared with us at the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice since we began our work in June. Now that we have been meeting for just over a month, we would like to give all…
June 15, 2020 Dear Members of the Eastman Community, The events of the past few weeks are serving as the impetus for society to engage in systemic and transformational change on behalf of racial justice. While Eastman has been very committed to issues of diversity, equity and access, as demonstrated by initiatives like the Eastman…