Jackson School Diversity and Equity Statement

The Jackson School is committed to the goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that diversity and equity are a source of strength, creativity and innovation and thus central to academic excellence – in teaching, research, administration, scholarship, and service. We seek to build an inclusive community by addressing differences of gender, socio-economic class, race, religion, disability, and sexuality. We understand that identities and lived experience are complex and that individuals and social groups are shaped by historically produced, intersecting inequalities. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive community for every individual including those who have been marginalized, such as women, the poor, rural and working classes, people of color, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities (seen and unseen), religious minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual people. Further we strive to eliminate individual acts of discrimination as well as dismantle systematic barriers and injustices that may be encoded in our institution’s and society’s policies, practices, traditions, and procedures.

As a School of International Studies, we bring a distinctive intellectual lens to questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We model socially inclusive approaches to addressing practical problems in the world today through applied research opportunities that connect students to grassroots communities, policy communities, and transnational actors. We train students to work inclusively and to understand the significance of linguistic, religious, and cultural literacy. Our work de-centers U.S-centric conceptions of the world and confronts the historical legacies of colonialism as well as inequalities within and between nation-states.  Our vision of public engagement has a strong emphasis on equity, justice, human rights, and respect for the histories and knowledge of diverse peoples and places across national borders.

While we build on these strengths, we also understand that we have work to do. We understand that the School must make progress in addressing racial inequality and discrimination and the complex intersections between race and other inequalities and identities. In particular, we must make institutional progress with regard to under-represented minorities within the United States even as we develop global understandings of race and ethnicity. The Jackson School’s commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion is rooted in an understanding that institutions play a central role in both producing and potentially changing inequality and discrimination. We understand that such progress requires that we address our own institutional practices, cultures, and norms and that this is an ongoing work that takes time and continued commitment of our community.

To that end we give our diversity, equity, and inclusion committee the charge of generating opportunities and resources for a more diverse, equitable, and culturally inclusive learning community. In particular we note that research has shown that students report less discrimination and bias at institutions where they perceive a stronger institutional commitment to diversity and that addressing the dynamics surrounding an institution as well as among actors in an institution is critical to improving climate and racial inclusivity.

For questions or more information contact us at jsisdiv@uw.edu.