Formation of the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice

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 Pathways Program, the co-founding of the ROCmusic Collaborative, and our partnership with the Gateways Music Festival, we can and must do better.

I am announcing the formation of the Eastman Action Commission for Racial Justice.  This 20-person commission of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members has been charged with developing a prioritized list of action items Eastman must undertake.  I am pleased that Jean Pedersen, Associate Professor of Humanities at Eastman, and Lee Koonce, President & Artistic Director of Gateways Music Festival and Senior Advisor to the Dean, have agreed to co-chair this commission.  The names of the Commission members appear below.

In my charge to the Commission, I stated, “The time is now for Eastman to take bold and decisive actions that do more than demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access—our actions must also provide clear evidence of our stance against racism, bigotry, and discrimination.”  The Commission’s recommended initiatives must be meaningful to the Eastman Community, actionable, achievable, measurable, and sustainable.  The group will be considering all elements of our school including, but not limited to:  the curriculum, concert and event programing, admissions, increasing the diversity of our community, student and residential life, and community engagement.

The timeline for this work will be relatively short.  I have asked for the recommendations to be prioritized into three phases of implementation – immediately, at the start of the fall semester, and over the long-term. I thank the co-chairs and members of the commission for their willingness to take on this important and vital initiative, and I will share a summary of the Commission’s work upon completion.

Eastman’s commitment to the enrichment of community life is steadfast.  As artists and educators, it is our responsibility to create and model the world as we desire it to be within our own community—free of racism, discrimination and oppression.  Tangible change will occur as a result of meaningful actions. I look forward to receiving and implementing the recommendations from this commission, which will emanate from and represent the entire Eastman community.

Sincerely yours,

Jamal J. Rossi
Joan and Martin Messinger Dean
Eastman School of Music