UNIVERSITY INITIATIVE
SJSU’s Progress on Addressing Systemic Racism
By Mike Janes
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing in May 2020 and the increase in protests and social unrest that subsequently unfolded, SJSU President Mary A. Papazian knew the university would not remain a mere bystander. Instead, she felt strongly that those national events would serve as a turning point in SJSU’s storied history.
“The leadership team here agreed it was a time for immediate and sustained action, not talk,” she said. This need was confirmed when meetings with various campus stakeholders were initiated. Students, staff, faculty and others — particularly Black and African Americans and other historically marginalized groups — wanted to see their concerns taken seriously with specific steps the university would take to address systemic racism.
These meetings spurred by campus community groups demanding action helped SJSU leadership begin to chart a course to address systemic racism on campus, one that would mean “acting decisively and intentionally,” in the words of Papazian. A blog post in early June 2020 from the president to the campus community, “Examining Our Actions and Opportunities for Change,” unveiled the university’s plans to develop actionable plans to address systemic racism, both in the short- and long-term, head on, especially key issues and practices that may have continued to linger beneath the surface for years.
Communicating the university’s actions would be key. A new website, Combating Systemic Racism, was developed to house the president’s various campus messages, a variety of organizational and teaching resources, and a mechanism for following the immediate steps the university was taking. The website shows the short-term actions SJSU is taking toward tangible change, as well as the longer-term strategies for changing the policies and procedures that had been determined to form the foundation for current institutional and systemic racism.
“The leadership team here agreed it was a time for immediate and sustained action, not talk.”
— Mary A. Papazian
Actions taken immediately to promote change at SJSU
Actions ranged from the immediate retirement of the traditional “Spartan Up” hand gesture (which, when done incorrectly, resembled a white power symbol), to management training on racial justice, microaggression intervention and workplace inclusion. SJSU also committed to creating and hiring several new positions with specific skills sets and expertise.
Among those newly created positions were the university’s first-ever Director of Advocacy for Racial Justice, Jahmal Williams, and the inaugural Director of Black/African American Equity, Patience Bryant. In October of this year, the Director of Chicanx/Latinx Equity position was created, with Fernanda Perdomo-Arciniegas currently serving as interim director.
In addition, the dean of SJSU’s College of Social Sciences, Walt Jacobs, agreed to serve as Special Assistant to the Provost on Racial Justice Initiatives. The guidance provided by Jacobs will continue to be key in diversifying SJSU’s faculty and broadening racial diversity and equity matters among our faculty leaders.
Another key role that was filled was the newly created position of Vice Provost for Faculty Success. Magdalena “Maggie” Barrera now serves in this role, leading the Office for Faculty Success to support the professional development of faculty. Barrera offers extensive scholarship and experience on campus with diversity issues, and her collaborative efforts with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Center for Faculty Development are a welcome and needed development.
One significant action step — one we learned was critical for many members of our campus community — was the formation of a new task force created to examine the effectiveness of our University Police Department’s policies, protocols and community engagement strategies. That task force’s report will soon be released.
ODEI and the President’s Office formed the Campus Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CCDEI) in spring 2021. Co-chaired by the Chief Diversity Officer Kathleen Wong(Lau), staff member Angee Ortega McGhee, and faculty member Anne Marie Todd, the CCDEI produced its inaugural report on recommendations to President Papazian. Many of the recommendations address systemic racism across the many divisions and sectors of campus. The 32-member CCDEI continues with new incoming co-chair, Monica Allen.
Two additional ways in which SJSU is working to address systemic racism are to expand community partnerships and develop opportunities to honor and acknowledge the legacy of its Black athletes, alumni and activists. While these goals have largely been achieved in previous years through Legacy Month, Williams and colleagues on the Olympic Project for Human Rights planning committee saw an opportunity to expand the effort — beginning this October.
The inaugural SJSU Legacy Run on Oct. 30 was part of both Hispanic Heritage Month and Legacy Month. The “fun run” highlighted SJSU’s roots and heritage in activism, with several running groups from San José and the Bay Area joining the university’s track and field and cross country teams, students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community on a race around the campus perimeter. Photo: Robert C. Bain
As part of Legacy Month, SJSU professor Scott Myers-Lipton engages his students in a conversation about the Smith-Carlos statues, their origin and the role that protest and activism continue to play today in affecting social change. Photo: Robert C. Bain
Expanding Legacy Month
Legacy Month traditionally has centered on celebrated SJSU alumni and 1968 Olympic track-and-field medalists Tommie Smith, ’69 Social Science, ’05 Honorary Doctorate; and John Carlos, ’05 Honorary Doctorate, and the global impact they’ve had on social justice and human rights. Professor Scott Myers-Lipton of SJSU’s Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences first conceived of a campaign to commemorate the Smith/Carlos legacy, and in 2006 he and several colleagues — including planners from the African American Studies department and Associated Students — staged a small event that grew over time. The César Chávez Community Action Center (CCCAC) became actively involved in the Smith/Carlos event and took the lead in broadening the event to what came to first be known as Legacy Week and later Legacy Month.
Fast-forwarding to October of this year, Williams, Myers-Lipton and others saw an opportunity to expand Legacy Month at SJSU in a way that will continue to evolve and engage members of the campus community. To that end, a variety of activities and events were designed to help campus community members to gain an understanding of and an appreciation for SJSU’s historic racial struggles.
This year’s new-and-improved Legacy Month featured a variety of activities, including:
- An array of presentations, lectures, workshops and keynote speakers on social justice-related topics;
- A press conference to unveil a new booklet, “Racial and Social Justice at SJSU”;
- A gathering at the Smith/Carlos statues to reflect on the significance of that pair’s historic action 53 years ago in Mexico City;
- Learning activities that encouraged SJSU faculty to engage students on the university’s legacy of activism; and
- The inaugural, ODEI-led Legacy Run that brought students, alumni and community partners together for a “fun run” around the university’s perimeter to recognize San Jose’s Latinx/a/o running community as well as the first Black director of SJSU’s track program, Charles Ryan.
Another highlight was a two-day virtual conference by the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change, which offered keynote panels, change agent organizations and workshops that collectively examined the history and legacy of athlete activism at SJSU and beyond.
Opening day of the two-week Transforming Communities event featured a performance by Taller Bombalele, a Bay Area Bomba class community. The group uses music and dance to honor their ancestors, heal, resist and create space for spiritual practice. Photo: Robert C. Bain
Leading the transformation
The themes of Legacy Month continued into the first two weeks of November with a new annual conference, Transforming Communities: A Movement to Racial Justice, led by Williams but with significant contributions from many. A variety of speakers, lectures and workshops were featured.
Setting the tone for the event was the opening night keynote presentation by Andrew Jolivétte, professor and chair of the department of ethnic studies at the University of California, San Diego. His presentation, “To Thrive: Place-Based Knowledge, Memory and Indigenous Movement Building from the Bay to the World,” included a powerful call-to-action and was an ideal kickoff to November’s Native American Heritage Month.
Jolivétte challenged SJSU to engage collaboratively with local Native American and Indigenous communities — including the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe — on specific issues of interest to those tribes, such as rematriation, repatriation of the land and its usage. Effective engagement with our Indigenous communities, he said, could be one way for SJSU to measure whether the campus is meeting its racial justice goals.
The opening keynote was preceded by powerful presentations from Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh and Vice Chairwoman Monica V. Arellano of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, whose ancestral lands are those on which San José State University and Silicon Valley reside. Arellano offered a detailed land acknowledgment statement, and Nijmeh delivered an extensive accounting of the historical disenfranchisement of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe by the unethical removal of their federal recognition.
Williams hopes Transforming Communities — a joint effort between SJSU and local government, non-profits, organizations, schools and businesses — will become an SJSU tradition. The end goal, he said, is a dynamic, vibrant annual event that will help to create a more racially just and equitable city, county and region.
The work SJSU has undertaken in the past 18 months to address systemic racism on campus is critical for the present and future of San José State, said Papazian. Even as she prepares to leave the SJSU presidency, she said the work must continue and remain woven into the fabric of everything we do.
“This work underpins our character and so many of our institution’s core values,” said Papazian. “And it is vital for the well-being of each member of our campus community.”
As part of Transforming Communities and Native American Heritage Month, SJSU's MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center and the Student Union sponsored their monthly open mic night, with a Native American and Indigenous identity theme. Participants showed off a variety of skills, including singing and guitar performances. Photos by Robert C. Bain
Want to learn more?
Learn more about SJSU efforts to combat systemic racism and SJSU’s Transforming Communities activities
Top photo: Jennifer Gonzalez-Arias/Malissa Williams, ’22 Public Health, speaks at an event marking the 53rd anniversary of Tommie Smith, ’69 Social Science, ’05 Honorary Doctorate; and John Carlos', ’05 Honorary Doctorate, Olympic protest in Mexico City on Oct. 19.
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