To: The Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Racist Emails Circulating at UMass Amherst
Date: September 27, 2021
Many of you may have seen the article in the Boston Globe about a racist email that was sent to Black students and student organizations at UMass Amherst. We have had no reports of Wellesley students receiving this email directly, but it has been shared on social media and many of our Black students are understandably disturbed and shaken.
Experiencing this kind of hate speech is painful. It is painful for Black students and Black members of our community. It is painful for me. It is also infuriating and disturbing. Racism against one group deeply impacts us all. It is designed to break the bonds of mutual respect that bind us together as a community. We must not let it.
I am proud that this year, Wellesley welcomed the largest group of Black students in our history. I know that I speak for all members of our community when I say to them, and to all our Black students: You belong here. We see you, we appreciate all the gifts that you bring; you enrich Wellesley and make us better. We also just completed a strategic plan that puts creating a sense of belonging for all our students at the center of what we do. That is work to which I am deeply committed, as I know many others in our community are as well.
Earlier this afternoon, Patricia Birch, the new assistant dean for intercultural education and director of Harambee House, reached out to our Black students offering support. Dean of Students Sheilah Horton and I have a previously scheduled meeting with students from Harambee House later today, and we look forward to talking with them. I encourage any student who receives any kind of discriminatory email to report it to DaQuana (Dee) Carter, our director of nondiscrimination initiatives and Title IX/504 coordinator.
