Update on Naming and Honorifics from Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion José Villalba
This message is shared on behalf of Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion José Villalba.
As was announced in September 2021, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) led efforts in fall 2021 to engage with the campus community around naming and honorifics. To facilitate this process, ODI organized the Honorifics Planning Group to assist in information sharing and data gathering activities. Community-wide involvement in the topic of naming and honorifics took place last term through seminars and forums, small group discussions with stakeholders, and an end-of-term survey emailed to students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
Regarding the survey, a total of 481 completed surveys were received by ODI. About 70 percent of respondents identified as alums, while student, staff, and faculty respondents represented roughly 10 percent each of the total. The survey asked recipients to provide feedback on themes and concepts the university could honor, names or groups of individuals to honor, and locations and methods for doing so. A review of responses can be summarized as follows:
- A broad range of methods for honoring and remembering were suggested, including names on buildings and roadways, named professorships, scholarship opportunities for students, artistic creations that depict important themes and events in our University’s history, and the use of new technologies such as digital media to convey a more inclusive history of our institution.
- Numerous individual names were suggested, including current and former faculty, staff and students, and historical figures with direct and indirect ties to the University. Several respondents recognized groups of individuals directly and indirectly connected to Wake Forest.
- Respondents identified overarching themes and concepts reflective of Wake Forest’s aspirational commitment to Pro Humanitate, particularly around belonging, dignity, remembering, hard work, honesty, character, altruism, and humility.
These widespread efforts, grounded in our Guiding Principles on Naming, have generated the beginnings of a dynamic repository of ideas for how Wake Forest will honor and remember. This repository will continue to grow as we welcome new members to our campus community, and reconnect with those individuals that personify our institutional values. In the coming weeks, ODI will continue to update the campus community on honorific efforts, as well as broader and substantive initiatives to promote inclusion and belonging across Wake Forest University.
José Villalba
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Categories: University Announcement
An Update on Remembering and Honoring
On August 10, President Susan R. Wente shared her institutional commitment to promoting and sustaining a sense of belonging and inclusivity. In her message, she emphasized the ongoing nature of this work, and more importantly, recognized that it will take every member of the campus community to achieve success. In that same letter, the president said the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) will lead the next steps for engaging the Wake Forest community in structured, open dialogue concerning the guiding principles for naming adopted in April 2021 by the Board of Trustees. The goal is also to collect names of individuals, themes and concepts which are not currently honored or remembered as fully as possible on campus.
This next phase of working toward the shared commitment of a more equitable community will be grounded in the work of the former Advisory Committee on Naming (co-chaired by Trustee Donna Boswell and Divinity School Dean Jonathan L. Walton) and the Advisory Committee on Re-naming (co-chaired by Trustee Donna Edwards and Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion José Villalba). The ODI engagement opportunities aim to expand the community’s knowledge around honorifics and remembrance.
“Honoring and remembering our values should be central to our mission as a University,” Villalba said. “These initiatives will ensure that all in our community have an opportunity to share their perspectives and insights.” Read more
Categories: Presidential News, University Announcement
Next Steps in our Shared Commitment Toward a More Equitable Community
On Aug. 10, President Susan R. Wente shared a message to campus. Read the full message on her site.
Categories: Inside WFU, Presidential News, University Announcement
A landmark week for equity and inclusion in the Supreme Court
A message from Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion José Villalba
Dear Wake Forest Community,
Last week was a particularly affirming week for members of the LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities, as well as their loved ones and allies. In the span of four days, the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions in two landmark cases. On Monday, June 15, a majority of Justices ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees. And on Thursday, June 18, a majority of Justices ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program could continue.
The ramifications of these cases for employment and immigration law, respectively, will continue to be researched by legal experts and be the subject of public debate. For now, the impact on underrepresented members of our campus is positive and empowering. The recent court decisions are affirmations of Wake Forest’s non-discrimination statement, in place for many years, that declares the University will not discriminate against these groups. Our campus community will continue to emphasize the full dignity of all students, staff, and faculty. Now more than ever we elevate the voices and lived experiences of undocumented and LGBTQ+ community members.
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
Sustaining our support for one another
A message from José Villalba, vice president for diversity and inclusion and professor of counseling.
During these times of sorrow, anger, confusion and fear for our country, our community and our University, it is important that we acknowledge that our friends and colleagues are still very much reeling from recent – and repeated – waves of injustice, racism and inequities. African American members of our community in particular are experiencing trauma in very real and pertinent ways right now.
Our African American colleagues in particular are simultaneously balancing their work loads, a national pandemic, and wondering about how the University’s next steps for the fall and beyond will impact their day-to-day lives. These experiences are compounded by a society that once again has made black people fear for their lives. Black caregivers wonder how many more times they will have to have a talk with their children about how to and not to engage with law enforcement, and black trans folk are feeling scared that they will be uniquely targeted as being “less than.”
Because some in our community have reached out to ask me what they should “say” or “do,” I am sharing with you what I have shared with them.
- Reflect on why you want to share your care with your African American colleagues, as well as why the events that have transpired lately should matter to you as an individual.
- Use your reflections as starting points when deciding how to offer your support, focusing on your colleagues’ experiences, pain and discomfort rather than yours.
- Statements of support should be followed by actions including one’s self-education on anti-racism and the perpetuation of structural oppression, joining with local organizations that work towards a more equitable community, and minimizing the prevalence of health disparities (to name a few).
If you want to get a sense of what your African American colleagues in particular might be experiencing at this moment, consider reading, “Maintaining Professionalism In the Age of Black Death Is … A Lot” and, “Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay, Chances Are They Are Not.”
People with good intentions and differing levels of knowledge are trying to help their colleagues, students and neighbors. Many in our community, through social media, phone calls and emails, have said to our African American community members: “I see you;” “I’m sorry;” “Let me know how to help.” May these statements of empathy lead to sustained actions and expressions of love and support, both on this campus and throughout our nation.
Categories: Guest Post, Inside WFU
