Collaborating on social justice, equity

By Ellie Ashford June 12, 2020
Community College Daily

In response to the murder of George Floyd, a predominantly white Southern community college is partnering with a diverse two-year college in a Minneapolis suburb to explore issues of racial justice and equity.

After Floyd was killed by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on a Minneapolis street, “many of our employees were just heartbroken,” says Vicki Karolewics, president of Wallace State Community College (WSCC) in Hanceville, Alabama.

“They couldn’t understand how this can happen again,” Karolewics says. “Our faculty and staff as a whole are seeking meaningful ways to have a dialogue around this.”

Karolewics reached out to Merrill Irving, Jr., president of Hennepin Technical College, to check in with her fellow American Association of Community Colleges board member and suggested they collaborate on a creative project highlighting students’ feelings about issues of racial justice and equity. Irving readily agreed.

Read the full article at www.CCDaily.com.