The Anti-Racism Team comprises a racially diverse group of faculty, staff, and administrators committed to organizing and implementing institutional transformation for the benefit of all members of the Oakton community.
Mission Statement
The Anti-Racism Team's mission statement mirrors that of the College:
We are the Community's College
- We are an inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural educational institution that recognizes the destructive effects of racism on all members of our community.
- We commit to restoring full participation and shared power of the entire community and being accountable to the people and communities we serve.
We are a Community of Learners
- We reject all forms of bias.
- We are dedicated to teaching an anti-racist, anti-bias curriculum.
- We implement anti-racist, anti-bias structures, policies, and practices that maximize the potential of our constituents.
We are a Changing Community
- We imagine a future without systemic racism that empowers all members of our community to use their creativity in an inclusive, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive environment.
Initiatives
The Anti-Racism Team's initiatives include:
- Shaping awareness of systemic racism within the institution and analyzing the specific barriers to change;
- Fostering a College-wide commitment to dismantle institutional racism and establish an anti-racist purpose;
- Developing an action plan for dismantling the structures that perpetuate racism within the institution;
- Developing cultural identities within the institution based on an anti-racist understanding;
- Building new organizational structures that share decision-making powers.
Team Members
- Mario Borha, Associate Professor of Mathematics
- Donovan Braud, Chair, Professor of English
- Michelle James, Distinguished Professor of Psychology
- Gloria Liu, Grants Manager of STEAM-H and Special Projects
- Ileo Lott, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
- Phil Prale, Adjunct Faculty, K-12 Education
- Katherine Schuster, Co-Chair, Anthropology, College Studies, Education, Psychology, Social Science and Sociology Department & Coordinator, Distinguished Professor, Education
- Suzi Ziegenhorn, Professor of Biology
- Ex Officio: Joianne Smith, President
The Anti-Racism Team works with Chicago Regional Organizing for Antiracism (CROAR) to host regional workshops and train Oakton's institutional transformational teams.
For more information, please email antiracismteam@oakton.edu or contact a team member.
