CLC board adopts anti-racism statement in 5-2 vote
In what proponents called a step forward in the college's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the College of Lake County board adopted an anti-racism statement by a 5-2 vote this week.
"We recognize racism as the systematic oppression of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and that intersects with other prejudices creating and sustaining overlapping systems of oppression," reads the first of nine sentences.
It concludes, "We call upon every member of our community to refuse to accept the unjust treatment of people."
The statement was crafted by an anti-racism committee and vetted by faculty, staff members and student representatives through the Grayslake college's governance system over a period of several months. A draft of the statement was presented to the board first in February.
"This statement shows that we, the board of trustees, care and we will stand up to racist behavior," board member Julie B. Shroka said to applause from the small crowd at Tuesday's meeting.
Shroka said that while some find the language in the statement uncomfortable, what was more uncomfortable and repulsive was when the college's virtual classes and community conferences were "Zoom bombed" with racist language.
Voting against the statement were board members Gerri Songer and Robert Tomei Jr.
Songer said she could not support it given its definition of racism and noted the statement didn't take into account atrocities like the Holocaust carried out by Nazis against Jewish people in World War II and the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Tomei said the guiding principles behind the anti-racist statement are based on sound aspirational objectives but said the diversity, equity and inclusion movement is being spread by powerful corporations and organizations and that it is designed to replace the system of academic merit with a system of group identity preferences.
Tomei's opposition of DEI at CLC dates back to 2021 when the college first was considering hiring an administrator to oversee diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The college eventually hired Jesse Morales to serve as the director of DEI in February 2022.
Tomei said Thursday he did not want to adopt a political value statement on a subject matter as charged as racism.
Tomei is the lone CLC board member seeking reelection on Tuesday.
Allena Barbeto, who is among the challengers seeking two 6-year terms, spoke in favor of the anti-racism statement at the board meeting Tuesday.
Barbeto now works as a Title IX compliance and equity administrator at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago and was in a similar role at CLC when Morales was hired. She said Thursday the statement is very important to support the CLC discrimination and harassment policy and procedures already in place.
Renita D. Davis, a candidate who has worked as a social worker for more than 20 years, said she would have voted in favor of the statement, as well.
"If elected, it will be my duty to uphold the tenets of this statement and to support the efforts of the college," Davis said.
Candidates William M. Griffin and Richard E. Soller did not reply to requests for comment at the time of publication.