Justice is necessary because injustice exists. Racial discrimination; economic inequality; health care disparities; and inadequate access to quality education, healthy food and transportation are just some of the issues.
When we know what injustices exist, we can work to dismantle the systems that perpetuate injustice and create a fair, more equitable society.
Our ambition at Augustana College is to promote the social change necessary to remediate the inequities that we see because of racial disparities.
In 2024, Augustana College received its fifth Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
This honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Augustana was one of 114 institutions to receive the award.
In addition to the above conversations and learning opportunities, Augustana College's Presidential Racial Justice and Equity Fund has been established to help foster our community's passion for equity and justice initiatives.
With seed money provided by Steve and Jane Bahls, the fund provides a means for students at Augustana College to initiate projects on campus or within the Quad Cities community that:
Racial justice broadly defined includes criminal justice, economic justice, environmental justice, health care justice and other issues of justice impacted by race.
More details about the Presidential Racial Justice and Equity Fund.
Check out these organizations and resources.
lists:
Jaidan Berry '22, Jameshia Walls '22 and Lilliana Andujar '22
Dr. Monica M. Smith, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion
Jacob Washington '21
Darlington Sehgbean '24
Caleb Minnis '22
Evelyn Aguayo '23
Tajania Jenkins '21 speaking on behalf of David Mason III.
Lyka May Canto '22 speaking about her experiences and speaking on behalf of Joyce Matanguihan.
Ashanti Mobley '21
Microaggressions are daily indignities that happen in conversation and come from intentional of unintentional bias. At the core, they're based on stereotypes. Dr. Monica Smith teaches us how to recognize microaggressions and how to draw attention to them in a non-confrontational way to create access and reduce stereotypes.
Dr. Monica Smith talks about the residual effects of historical racism, and the need to actively push back against the systems that create unequal access for people of color, women and other minority groups.
For the second year in a row, Augustana College has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.
