Our Commitment to Racial Equity and Justice

A Statement from the Consortium

As a member of and contributor to the scholarship of the University of Chicago, the Consortium is responsible for building a more equitable institution for the future that works in partnership with Chicago communities that have long been subjected to disinvestment and systemic racial oppression. The Consortium is committed to do the long and hard work of interrogating ourselves, our organization, and the larger environment in which we do our work to advance racial equity and justice.

The heart of our mission is supporting stronger and more equitable educational outcomes for students. We believe equitable schools are places where all young people are able to participate fully in learning and that inequitable outcomes are a product of existing systems of oppression.

Educational equity, therefore, cannot exist without racial equity across multiple systems. Our work will feel incomplete and insufficient unless it also supports the social justice work of organizations focused on addressing structural inequity. To realize our goals, we commit to:

Conduct research projects that more directly address the structural causes of inequity and question the assumptions behind racist systems.
Increase our partnerships with organizations who are working against institutional racism.
Engage in regular and sustained conversations with our partners and stakeholders about what racial justice requires from us as researchers and an organization.

Some of this work has begun, but there is much left to do. We will count on our staff, partners, and stakeholders to hold us accountable to these commitments.

Non-Black People of Color & White People: Challenge Your Own Racism and that of Others

Educate yourself and stay informed. Engage with current and historical works, such as:

Organize and participate in within-identity group spaces to gain self-awareness around implicit and explicit biases and participation in upholding and strategies to dismantle white supremacy. For example, organize a group to implement Layla Saad’s Me and White Supremacy Workbook challenge.

Engage in racial justice work. Locate resources on how to be involved (e.g., A Guide to Being an Ally; 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice; 6 Things White People Can Do To Reach Friends and Family Members to End Racism).

Learn about what is happening in your community regarding dismantling anti-Black racism. Showing up for Racial Justice has many chapters around the country and tend to be predominantly white spaces where white people support other white people in becoming anti-racist.

Raise awareness and talk about/acknowledge ongoing and historical roots of racial violence and oppression of Black and Brown communities with family, friends, colleagues, peers, students, etc.

Challenge and address acts of racism and oppression.

Read President Obama’s How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change and the report and toolkit developed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and based on the work of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing.