Council members
Faculty Chair
| Dr. Jeffrey Wilson Professor of Economics, W.P. Carey School of Business |
Faculty Executive Committee
| Dr. Christine Bunzide School Director and Associate Professor, School of Community Resources and Development |
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson Institute Professor, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions |
Ken Shropshire Adidas Distinguished Professor of Global Sport and CEO of Global Sport Institute |
Faculty Committee
| Dr. Patience Akpan-Obong Associate Professor, College of Integrative Sciences and the Arts |
Angela Banks J.D. Charles J. Merriam Distinguished Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law |
Dr. Olga Davis Associate Dean, Barrett, The Honors College and Professor, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication |
| Dr. Vernon Morris School Director and Professor, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences |
Dr. Ayanna Thompson Center Director and Professor, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies |
Dr. Bernard Young Professor, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts |
Staff Chair
| Colleen Jennings-Roggensack Vice President, ASU Cultural Affairs |
Staff Executive Committee
| Ray Anderson Vice President, Sun Devil Athletics |
Dr. Cassandra Aska Deputy Vice President and Dean of Students, Tempe, Office of Educational Outreach and Student Services |
Kenja Hassan Assistant Vice President, Office of Government and Community Engagement |
Staff Committee
| Cheryl Hyman Vice Provost for Academic Alliances, Office of the University Provost |
Dr. Antoinette Farmer-Thompson Deputy Vice President, Office of Educational Outreach and Student Services |
Student Committee
| Miriam Araya President, Black Graduate Student Association and Member, Multicultural Solidarity Coalition |
Aniyah Braveboy President, Black African Coalition |
Cornelius Foxworth Vice President, Black African Coalition |
| Kiara Kennedy Sun Devils United |
Donta McGilvery Dean’s Fellow & Coordinator for Culture and Access, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts |
Sarra Tekola Co-President, Black Graduate Student Association and Member, Multicultural Solidarity Coalition |
Communications support for the co-chairs
Suzanne Wilson, Sr. Media Relations Officer, ASU Media Relations and Strategic Communications
As the Council embarks on this very important work, we want you to know we cherish your valuable input. We will keep you up to date as things progress and look forward to your continued feedback. If you are not able to make the town hall, please send your suggestions to acaaa@asu.edu.
Latest
10/26/20
To the ASU community:
In an email to ASU’s campus community on September 2, 2020, I announced 25 starting actions that we have committed to in the efforts to advance meaningful change in the fight for equality and social justice at ASU and beyond. I emphasize “starting” because we know that this work is not finite. It is evolving and will continue to do so. Central to its implementation is the establishment of a new Advisory Council on African American Affairs, which has already started the important work of convening constructive dialogue around the initiatives.
I am pleased to announce Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, vice president of ASU Cultural Affairs, and Jeffrey Wilson, professor in ASU’s Department of Economics, as the co-chairs of this new council. I will be working alongside Colleen, Jeffrey and other members of the Council to develop, implement and evaluate the work that we have started in response to recent events that remind us that discrimination still exists and must be dismantled. Together we will draw from our shared knowledge and lived experiences to evaluate and develop all of the possible ways that we can overcome the systemic issues of racism and injustice.
The Council invites the interest and support of all members the ASU community who are committed to ensuring the success and growth of Black faculty, staff and students. It is important to underscore that we are committed to the success and growth of all of our faculty, staff and students, but this particular moment in time calls for heightened focus on the Black community. In the months between now and July 2021, the Council will hold town hall meetings to address key areas of interest related to the initiatives. One of those meetings will include a deeper discussion about why we are embarking on this work now. A data committee will keep track of the progress we are making together, and a new website dedicated to our efforts will provide updates and serve as a connection hub for ideas and inquiries.
In focusing on the immediate issues and opportunities for Black faculty, staff and students, ASU earnestly accepts the inclusive institutional responsibilities laid bare in the ASU charter. We can do more and we will do more to acknowledge and dismantle the barriers of systemic racism in the ongoing design and evolution of the New American University.
I appreciate the voluntary collaboration and commitment of so many leaders within the ASU community as we accelerate our work in progress. I look forward to your ideas, your input and your initiatives. Let’s do this work together.
Michael M. Crow
President
Arizona State University