Anti-Racism Resources

    Divisional Statement on Anti-Racism

    St. Olaf College’s Division of Student Life exists to serve students, help them thrive, and advance their growth. Our mission to foster an inclusive community and champion student success cannot be fulfilled without acknowledging the pain that our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, including APIDA [Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi Americans], Latinx/a/o, and other communities of Color) students experience.  As a division, we affirm this pain; we denounce racism, we firmly believe Black Lives Matter, and we are committed to building a racially just society and an antiracist community. We commit to bettering ourselves and improving our ability to serve.

    Action Steps for the Division

    • Regularly discuss anti-racism, whiteness, and systems of oppression within professional and student staff meetings on a regular, ongoing basis in times specifically set aside for these topics
    • Perform a thorough review of policies and practices with a specific eye towards equity and removing barriers
    • Seek feedback from various constituents (student, staff, St. Olaf community members) through various forms to address instances of racism and inequity within our own spaces
    • Focus on starting anti-racism conversations and work with staff starting with onboarding and roll out opportunities for long-tenured members of our division
    • Enroll in outside training and professional development to learn and implement best practices for anti-racism work

    Learn the basics and history surrounding structural racism

    Logo for Act dot TV

    Systemic Racism Explained

    A short video from act.tv that explains what systemic racism is and how it affects our world.

    Logo for the PBS Series Origin of Everything, various pictures of historical items in yellow and white surrounding a green box with the text "Origin of Everything"

    The Origin of Race in the US

    From the PBS Series “Origin of Everything”, this video discusses how the construct of race and its invention as a tool of oppression

    Linked In Learning logo, a white equilateral triangle pointing to the right on top of a stylized blue book

    Stacie Gordon: Unconscious Bias

    In this LinkedIn Learning course (login with your St Olaf email and password) Stacie Gordon walks through identifying your own unconscious biases and working to do something about them.

    logo for Black Lives Matter, black text saying "Black Lives Matter" over three yellow horizontal bars

    What is Black Lives Matter?

    In a short video and letter, founder of the Black Lives Matter movement Patrisse Cullors reflects on the work that has been done and what needs to be done.

    On Campus Support for BIPOC Students

    Racism and Mental Health

    Racism and Mental Health

    The Wellness Center has compiled resources on the connections of racism and mental health.

    Counseling Center

    Counseling Center

    The Counseling Center on campus features one on one counseling, workshops, and referral services for students.

    Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion

    Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion

    The Taylor Center provides programs, services and initiatives that support student success of BIPOC, Multicultural, International, First Generation and LGBTQIA+ students on campus.

    Multicultural Student Organizations

    Multicultural Student Organizations

    There are many multicultural student organizations offering gathering spaces for many different identities on campus. Search “multicultural” at this link to see all that are offered.

    Resources to build on basic learning

    After the basic resources above, these resources feature further spaces to learn, develop, and act. While by no means an exhaustive list, these are a few resources in various forms that allow for further growth and next steps in an antiracism journey.