History Department Statement on Equality and Diversity

As historians, we have a professional responsibility to teach members of our community about symbols and ideas that summon the worst moments in the history of our country and other parts of the world.

We pledge, as historians, to work harder to educate members of our community about America's unfinished mission to provide equality for all and about the real scars that past acts of hatred and brutality leave upon all of us.

We call on all members of the Cal Poly community to move beyond momentary expressions of "shock" and to begin working on lasting ways to instill in every member of our community a true respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings.

We charge our colleagues in university administration to move beyond abstract learning objectives and initiatives to help us devise concrete, ongoing measures to ensure that every member of our community, regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or beliefs, is equally valued here. . . 

We must find ways to educate our students better about these crucial issues, and teach them to embrace diversity in all of its forms, to hunger for knowledge about cultures beyond their own, and to be courageous in seeking out social justice. These are the values that will make them leaders in this new century.