June 5, 2020
Our Commitment to Racial Justice
The state of Black lives has reached a breaking point in America.
A financial crisis that’s left more than 20 million people unemployed in this country, and left less than half of Black adults with jobs. A pandemic that has killed 110,000 Americans – and hit Black Americans the hardest. And now, another set of senseless killings of Black Americans at the hands of their fellow citizens and police whose job it is to protect them.
We know we cannot begin to understand the pain and suffering that Black Americans are facing, but we know we must act.
We must act because racism, injustice, and inequity take root in our institutions. Higher education is one of those institutions and needs to change.
Our mission is to make higher education more engaging and more equitable, and we have the privilege to help colleges and universities make real and significant change.
But we have not done enough to address structural issues for people of color. Over the last year, we’ve been listening and learning so we can respond with empathy and understanding. Now we are ready to take action.
This is the start of many conversations brightspot is committed to having with ourselves and with you. We hope you join us on this collective journey of listening, learning, and action.
Our Commitments
- We will continue to do the work to educate ourselves about racism, injustice, and inequity within higher education.
- We will continue to increase the inclusiveness of our consulting process and the diversity of our team so that we get better ideas, performance, and impact.
- We will create a Council of Student Advisors from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds whose advocacy at their institution we can support and amplify.
- We will give students, staff, and faculty of color a voice on our platforms to share their experiences and increase their reach.
- We supported Rutgers University’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions by donating our time toward research projects and providing $10,000 to sponsor their Visiting Scholars Program aimed at undoing white supremacy within higher education.
We will do more as we learn more, and we expect you to hold us accountable.