In recent years, anti-racism education initiatives have become more present in schools and universities. The University’s Anti-Racism Education (ARE) program has been in effect for four years, dating back to 2020. According to the University’s ARE informational page, anti-racism is “The ongoing process of naming, analyzing, evaluating and imagining ways to change systems of racism.”

All undergraduate students are required to take two ARE courses during their time at the university. A wide variety of ARE courses are offered at the University, ranging from arts and sciences to technology business classes to classes whose primary focus is race. These courses are in Dyson, Sands, Lubin, Seidenberg, the College of Health Professions and the School of Education. Courses are proposed by professors who create the curriculum and then filtered through the ARE committee for approval.

ARE Coordinator Laura Kaplan explained how the ARE program came about in the first place, “The demand for the ARE education program came about after the murder of George Floyd… so the Black Student Union at felt like [the University] as an institution needed to do more to promote anti-racism education.”

In order for a course to fulfill the ARE requirement, it has to meet one of the five learning objectives: inequalities, knowledge-making, intersectionality, change-making and Black, Indigenous and People of Color contributions. ARE Coordinator Kyomi Gregory-Martin added to why the program was created. 

“Some students felt like there should be more courses that represent diverse topic areas and maybe classes that traditionally haven’t explored that. Also, the fact that [the University]has said that they are an anti-racist institution, there was some need for some form of accountability [of that.] And by having this initiative, that was an opportunity to provide that for students that also provided an opportunity for faculty to step up in creating that curriculum,” Gregory-Martin said. 

Professor Darius Phelps shared why he believes that ARE courses benefit students at the University, “It provides somewhat of a reflective piece and introspective piece when it comes to our students at [the University]. It really teaches them where they come from but also learning to see the world as perceptive and…about other cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities and other ways of life. These courses are important for me to use that platform as a vessel to provide these opportunities for our students to really make that connection piece and find that sense of community, belonging and most importantly, love.”

Sophomore Ishika Naik, a Women and Gender Studies major, expressed her opinion on the ARE program and its impact on her education thus far. “I think ARE courses are important because while we are a diverse school, we are a [predominately white institution]… I’ve seen lots of people from out of state struggle to adjust to the stark difference of New York, where there is a new language on every corner. Learning more about each other, acknowledging our differences and being aware of historical conflicts and how they appear in systems we are often blind to is extremely important to continue building community and empathy, not just within our university but out in the real world too,” she stated. 

ARE courses can come in many forms; two are required for all undergraduate students. The ARE courses prove to be faring well at the University, and the program is growing each year as faculty members propose new courses to be added. 

“It’s evolving. I’ve noticed in maybe my second semester in this specific program at [the University], these students come with this hunger [to learn]… So I really see it evolving, and the key to keeping this going is cross-collaboration between the literacy department, ARE and how these platforms can merge as one,” Phelps said.