Racial Justice

Since 1846, Grinnellians have held a deep commitment to social responsibility, living out our beliefs in action, and serving the common good. It is a through line that keeps us all connected and helps us hold each other accountable. Recognizing our individual and collective complicity in systems that uphold inequities, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations condemns racism and anti-Blackness, and is committed to personal and collective work toward anti-racism. We stand in solidarity with our Black alumni, students, faculty, staff, and community members who are experiencing the pain and suffering of this ongoing issue, as well as its most recent manifestations. We commit to listening to marginalized voices, being actively anti-racist, and putting our College mission for a just and humane world into action. We will continue to honor the voices of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) alumni by listening and sharing their stories. We are life-long learners who will read and share resources. We affirm that Black lives matter. We promise to keep creating change by doing anti-racist work through listening, learning, and acting. As Grinnellians, we ask you to pledge to do the same by donating your time and talents to anti-racist efforts and by actively engaging with Grinnell College and with your own community.

“As Grinnellians, we all are called to work for the common good. We may question what we can do in the face of the injustices that we are witnessing or experiencing. We can also bring the steadfastness of care for our students and each other, the efforts of anti-racist pedagogy and practice, and the skills of critique to the work that must continue to be done. We can do these things as individuals and as members of this community.”
—Anne F. Harris, President

“We write to acknowledge our moral obligation to respond, to reach out to our colleagues who continue to hurt, who live the racial injustice that is a fact of American life, whose very lives are endangered by systemic racism, and whose communities are suffering disproportionately in the COVID-19 pandemic. We write to reaffirm our commitment to speak out against racial injustice, to support our faculty, staff, students, and alumni who wake up each day to an unjust America, to do all we can in our classrooms and communities to speak out in support of those suffering injustice, and to work for a diverse and inclusive world.” 
—Vida Praitis, Science Division chair and Chair of the Faculty, and Todd Armstrong, Past Chair of the Faculty

White text on black background. Text: Grinnellian Voices

Grinnellian Voices

Here are a selection of published pieces about or by Grinnellians as they respond to the challenges facing our nation and world.

If you know of a Grinnellian helping to address racial justice issues through professional or volunteer work, please share their story with us.

Tequia Burt ’98

Legacy of Activism - A history of Concerned Black Students.

Latona Giwa ’09

I’m Due to Give Birth Today But All I Can Think About is George Floyd

Dr. Irma McClaurin ’73

Minneapolis is burning

Ten Things about Black Women Suffragists through a Black Feminist Lens

Dr. Randy Morgan ’65

Pioneering Physician Randall C. Morgan Jr. on His Lifetime of Fighting for Health Care Equity

Sam Offenberg ’15

When School is the Only Safe Place - TEDx Grinnell College

Dr. Angela Onwuachi-Willig ’94

'The fire this time' - balancing personal and professional responses to the murder of George Floyd

Racial Identity are Social Constructs

Onwuachi-Willig was interviewed on the law podcast, Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick, in the episode Race, Police, and the Law

Chase Strangio ’04

ACLU attorney, discusses transgender rights

Langston Thomas ’20

A black protester’s pain: Handcuffed by police at 9, hit by a rubber bullet at 22

Henry Wingate ’69

Before Jailing a Young Woman, a Judge Puts Her Mother’s Racist Views on the Stand

White text on black background. Text: Voices from Campus

Voices from Campus

President Anne Harris

A Message to Faculty and Staff Colleagues

Anti-Racist Work at the College

Racial Justice Response

President Anne Harris and Schvalla Rivera, Chief Diversity Officer

Classes Canceled at Grinnell College (Sept. 22)

Executive Council

A message from Executive Council

Staff Council

A message from Staff Council

Department of Anthropology

Black Lives Matter statement

Athletics

Statement on Racial Violence

White text on black background. Text: ResourcesResources

Beyond Empathy

Beyond Empathy is a collection of anti-racist resources recommended by faculty and staff.

Committee on Diversity and Inclusion

The Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) provides strategic recommendations to the president on how to develop and sustain an inclusive and diverse campus community and evaluates the effectiveness of the College's practices. The CDI annually assesses and updates the College Diversity and Inclusion plan.

CDI also created a list of pedagogical resources and strategies for inclusive teaching.

Intercultural Affairs

Intercultural Affairs (ICA) is a dynamic and diverse team of student affairs professionals who are passionate about engaging, empowering, and encouraging students. They offer a variety of transformative educational programs and workshops that encourage students to develop their own commitments to heal, relate, learn, educate, and organize as emerging community leaders.

MUSE in Focus

The Grinnell College Libraries has been given temporary access to a selection of free scholarship from Project Muse publishers on the history of structural racism in the United States and how the country can realize anti-racist reform. Visit MUSE in Focus: Confronting Structural Racism.

The Grinnell Science Project

The Grinnell Science Project is committed to developing the talents of all students interested in science and mathematics, especially those from groups underrepresented in the sciences -- students of color, first-generation college students, and women in physics, mathematics and computer science.