Antiracism Committee

The Antiracism Committee (ARC) of the school psychology doctoral program at Minnesota State University, Mankato was convened to coordinate action related to the program’s official endorsement of the School Psychology Unified Antiracism Statement and Call to Action (García-Vázquez et al., 2020).

ARC Mission Statement and Tenets

The Mission of the Antiracism Committee is to plan, coordinate, and implement action to advance research, practice, policy, and education that will reduce racism. We focus on collaborating, teaching, and participating in service and scholarship that will engage in social justice and anti-racist action. We are committed to actively dismantling systems of oppression and supporting students and faculty from diverse backgrounds. We strive to reduce racial injustices within not only our program but also the university and broader community.

The Antiracism Committee is committed to the following tenets:

The Antiracism Committee acknowledges the need for meaningful conversations related to racial injustice that is systemically embedded within and throughout our country and communities. The committee commits to taking an anti-racist stand and strives to hold each other and others accountable towards working to change the systems that impact diverse cultures in oppressive ways.

The Antiracism Committee advocates for graduate students, youth, families, and communities with diverse backgrounds, identities, and experiences. The Committee actively stands against any discrimination and marginalization of graduate students, faculty, and the greater community.

The Antiracism Committee acknowledges that one must be aware of their own culture and acknowledge biases and recognize aspects of privilege that may lend to systemic oppression of non-dominant ethnicities and cultures. The Committee supports the idea that individuals should be active learners and strive to increase their cultural competency, which benefits not only the individual, but also the greater community.

The Antiracism Committee supports a culture of inclusion by: 1) creating a safe space for individuals of all cultures for communicating ideas and issues; 2) including diverse communities/representatives in the conversations of actions that will impact their lives through literature and collaboration; and 3) recognizing intersectional identities and how they impact oppression.

The Antiracism Committee supports efforts to: 1) recruit, retain, and provide support to graduate students with diverse backgrounds; and 2) increase representation of diverse communities within the program, university, and greater Mankato and Minnesota communities.

The Antiracism Committee acknowledges that the movement toward antiracism is a process for the individual and for society. As part of that process, we meaningfully plan our thoughts and actions, implement and act upon our ideas, and reflect upon the outcomes to determine the impact and effectiveness

ARC 2021-22 Action Steps

1. The ARC took actions to ensure the committee, and its work is sustainable over time. The committee established procedures for identifying core faculty and school psychology graduate student standing committee representatives developed committee communication tools (e.g., website and newsletter), and added the ARC to the School Psychology Program Handbook.

2. The ARC collaborated with the School Psychology Program core faculty and graduate students to identify a rubric that will be used during the 2022-23 academic year to audit the program curriculum and syllabus and identify revisions that will promote antiracist, inclusive, and diverse content in our graduate training program.

3. The ARC planned the committee’s second annual Antiracism Workshop during the spring semester of 2022. The workshop was held in September 2022 and focused on providing professional development for future and current school psychologists regarding antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

ARC 2022-23 priorities

1. The ARC will collaborate with the School Psychology Program core faculty and graduate students to complete a curriculum and syllabus audit of the four core school psychology courses taken by students during their first year in the program. Future audits will address the remaining courses in the program. Faculty and students will use the rubric identified in spring 2022 to evaluate the curriculum and syllabi in order to develop actionable recommendations that promote antiracist, inclusive, and diverse content in our graduate training program. Results from the audit will be shared with course instructors who will be encouraged to revise their course content and activities to align with the audit recommendations.

2. The ARC will review program data and activities regarding the recruitment and retention of graduate students and faculty from underrepresented and traditionally marginalized backgrounds. The committee will develop a plan to foster a welcoming and inclusive training community that is committed to training future school psychologists from a variety of backgrounds.

ARC Members

Contact Information:

Students and faculty who are interested in joining ARC or who have questions about ARC are encouraged to contact Kevin Filter, ARC Committee Chair, at kevin.filter@mnsu.edu