Message from Vice President Amoaba Gooden

Dear Members of the Kent State Community,

 As indicated in the letter from President Todd Diacon, Kent State University is committed to and has taken action to center racial equity. Diversity, equity and inclusion will continue to be a core institutional value. We will actively audit the actions that President Diacon has highlighted and will place these updates to this website.

During the summer and fall 2020, students, faculty, staff and administrators spent time meeting, discussing, sharing and strategizing to bring about racial justice change at Kent State. We discussed anti-Black racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination experienced by Native Americans, Jewish and Hispanic/Latinx Americans. In spring 2021, we will continue with these discussions and hold additional town halls to discuss the Asian American and the Black experiences. These discussions have reinforced that many members of our community are targeted because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation and national origin.

The Division of People, Culture and Belonging (PCB) will continue to work at cultivating a campus community that strives for inclusivity, diversity and equity. We believe that we can elevate Kent State to be one of the most welcoming communities in the nation.

The staff in PCB are here and available to support you, if needed. Additionally, various resources can be found on our website.

Warm regards, 

Amoaba Gooden, PhD
Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion