As individuals and as a staff, the Career Center stands in solidarity and support of our Black students.
We believe that social justice is related to career development in every way. We make an impact in how we teach, support, and empower our students as professionals, as citizens, and as leaders. We strive to help every student understand how their actions, assumptions and implicit biases impact the whole of a workplace, industry and our society.
We know the injustice we continue to witness in our Black community is rooted in a history of racism. Sadly, this pain is not new. The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd are among the most recent tragedies that have motivated a renewed commitment to empower and prepare all of our students to notice, discuss, and push back on inequities that exist in the workplace.
Always, but particularly in this moment, we want you to know that we are committed to supporting our Black students in reaching their career goals. We will continue to work with you as advisors, mentors and sponsors. We know that you are the future of industry and the academy – your voices, experiences, and perspectives will help bring about desperately needed change for those who follow in your footsteps.
We will be imperfect in our efforts, but we will not be afraid to try.
Our actions will supersede our words. We vow to take these initial steps:
- Provide workshops addressing advocacy for students entering internships and jobs
- Include anti-racism training in our continued professional development efforts for staff
- Increase our networks of and connections to alumni of color
- Review and revise our on-line resources to ensure they are comprehensive and include allyship
As a starting place, here are some professional development resources we find helpful:
- 7 Examples of What Being an Ally at Work Really Looks Like
- The Diversity Gap Podcast Episode 14: How to Be the Change You Want to See at Work
- Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot
We share these commitments and resources knowing that we also have much work to do. Please share back with us your ideas and content that will help us to grow and support the WashU community. Let us know if you’d like to be involved in our efforts; we value your partnership.
Finally, please see this upcoming virtual programming offered through the Center for Diversity & Inclusion and consider participating.
The Career Center Team