Presidential Initiative on Racial Equity and Diversity

Presidential Initiative on Racial Equity and Diversity
Carmen Twillie Ambar

This Presidential Initiative seeks to address issues of violence, police-community relationships, and racial injustices.

Presidential Initiative Update, May 2022

Established soon after the killing of George Floyd, the Presidential Initiative was meant to elevate and advance Oberlin’s more than 180-year commitment to diversity, which began with its admission of Black students, and provide the framework for faculty and students to address issues of violence, police-community relationships, and racial injustices. Oberlin’s unprecedented examination over the past two years will help identify the clear steps our community can take to help our students, especially our students of color, participate fully in the life of the College.

This short video provides an introduction to the initiative and its findings, and you can download the commission’s complete report and recommendations.

The Commission’s Report

The commission’s report provides a synthesized narrative of the commission’s work, along with recommendations and a review of in-progress commitments.

Download the report 

Learn More

Read the full declaration of the Presidential Initiative
View the commission roster

Campus Bulletins

News and Special Events

The Fist is Still Raised: A Conversation with Tommie Smith

In 1968, Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith raised a fist to protest racism and injustice against African Americans in the United States. On November 17, he joined a Zoom discussion moderated by George Smith ’87.

Heisman Club and President Ambar Host An Evening with Tommie Smith

A Conversation with Rachel Cargle, Featuring Professor Meredith Gadsby

Rachel Cargle, an Akron, Ohio-born public academic, writer, and lecturer, visited campus for a conversation with Professor Meredith Gadsby. Cargle’s activist and academic work are rooted in providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and womanhood.

A Conversation with Rachel Cargle