Adelphi University is committed to intentionally creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive community with a culture of equity and authentic belonging that informs and empowers a new generation of leaders.
Since 2015, two institutional strategic plans, Momentum (2015-2021) and Momentum 2 (2022-2027) have guided Adelphi in its goal to be a national model of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
In late 2019, our community was selected by the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) to be a Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Center. We officially launched our TRHT Center in March 2020.
Our University’s core values and strategic initiatives closely align with the mission of the TRHT Framework “to advance racial and social justice in our society by preparing the next generation of leaders to dismantle the false belief in a hierarchy of human value.”
The TRHT Campus Center at Adelphi is overseen by the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, led by R. Sentwali Bakari, vice president, and Chotsani Williams West, MA ’07, assistant vice president. Our TRHT work and successes are reported as part of the Momentum 2 strategic plan.
The TRHT framework helps communities heal and produce actionable change… through [community-led] collaboration that is cross-racial, intergenerational and cross-sector. Through a series of discussions… communities and organizations gain an understanding of the predominant factors and conditions that are blocking progress.”
Source: healourcommunities.org
TRHT at Adelphi and Beyond
A national and community-based process, the mission of TRHT is to bring about transformational and sustainable change, with partners working to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism in their communities and institutions. It is a holistic approach to address mind and heart, the interpersonal and systemic, with trust-based solidarity at the center.
History of TRHT
Explore the history of TRHT, a movement launched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to address systemic racism and promote inclusivity. Through partnership with AAC&U, TRHT has grown—engaging institutions like Adelphi University, in erasing barriers to equality and opportunity.
Adelphi’s TRHT Committee
The TRHT Campus Center at Adelphi is part of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, led by R. Sentwali Bakari, vice president, and Chotsani Williams West, assistant vice president and director of TRHT. Our TRHT work and successes are reported as part of the Momentum 2 strategic plan. A diverse group of faculty and administrators form the TRHT Committee, which works to advance a thriving TRHT Campus Center and community presence; they meet monthly to guide the work of Adelphi’s TRHT Campus Center.
Connecting TRHT to Strategic Planning
Through Momentum and Momentum 2, and with the commitment of our entire community, Adelphi’s strategic DEIB efforts continue making progress toward goals that support student success, advance social mobility, break down barriers, and foster a new approach to learning and talking about racism in ways that affirm the abounding possibilities of our myriad human differences.
What are Racial Healing Circles?
Developed by Dr. Gail Christopher, “racial healing circles provide opportunities to engage with perceived others in ways that enable self-reflection and nonthreatening acknowledgment of one’s own previously unquestioned assumptions and biases. [The approach] brings together a diverse group of people in the safe, respectful environment… [in which] participants share stories in pairs, using tailored prompts and questions that elicit stories of empowerment and agency.”
With the goal of helping participants carry empowerment and understanding forward in their lives, careers, and communities, the TRHT team at Adelphi facilitates racial healing circles in partnership with AAC&U to provide safe spaces for community members to:
- hear and learn from each other’s stories and lived experiences
- increase personal insight about shared humanity
- enhance each participant’s consciousness about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
- obtain support for taking action that will bring about positive change.
The concepts of empathy, deep listening, focusing on interconnectedness and common humanity, which are core to racial healing, open up opportunities to build trust and relationships as central to addressing racism, bias, inequity, and injustice.”