Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy is More Relevant and Critical than Ever Before

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

As we start the year 2021 and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, I want us to take a moment to reflect on the efforts of Dr. King to advance civil rights, voting rights, and nonviolence. Sadly, with the recent attack on our democracy that took place at Capitol Hill, his efforts are more important and relevant today than ever before. It is worthwhile for us to rekindle the spirit of Dr. King’s messages—social, political, and economic justice for all. His efforts for social change not only focused on rights for African Americans, but on formulating a powerful, multiracial coalition aimed at alleviating poverty and social injustice regardless of race. Our society has advanced tremendously owing to his vision—but we are clearly not where we need to be.

Bringing Institutional Transformation to Baruch

In my Fall 2020 communication, I outlined six College Focus Goals for the year. The first was to launch multifaceted “institutional transformation” to elevate and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this context, institutional transformation refers to intentional, explorative, and collective community action to reaffirm our values, culture, and behaviors—leading to substantive change in policy, process, and practice in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Since then, I have recharged the Presidential Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the council has been working hard to engage the community. They held a Community Meet and Greet for Baruch faculty and staff, held meetings across our three schools to find better ways to coordinate and collaborate their DEI efforts, and they completed an inventory of various DEI activities on campus. In the spring, they will hold a “summit” to formulate a collective vision for DEI, and hold additional community meet and greets and listening sessions for students, staff, and faculty. They are working to develop a website to disseminate information related to campus DEI efforts; I urge you to participate in and contribute to their great efforts.

Active Engagement Across Baruch

The council is but one way for us to achieve institutional transformation. As a learning institution, it is through active engagement that we learn together, and it is through shared understanding that we become more connected and empathetic. I invite you to explore a sample of materials below and additional items on Baruch’s Community Connections webpage to learn about the breadth of activities at the College.

Join Us in Celebrating Black History at Baruch

In collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs, Baruch’s Black History Month Committee, and the Department of Black and Latino Studies, the College will be hosting an exciting series of celebrations—Black History Month: Family, Representation, and Resilience. Over the course of the month’s festivities, we will commemorate the rich legacy and heritage of the African diaspora, while at the same time highlight the various issues that impact the community. We hope you will join us for this series of impactful events that are sure to educate and inspire. More details about February’s programming will be coming soon.

While the attacks on Capitol Hill marked the darkest day of our democracy in modern times, it serves as a reminder that our nation has critical work to do. Dr. King’s messages and legacy provide hope and inspiration that our best days are still ahead of us.

Sincerely,

S. David Wu
President, Baruch College