Our Commitment
Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goes far beyond any one office. These ideals and aspirations are deeply embedded into the core of UMass Amherst. We envision being a leader in promoting and maintaining an inclusive university community that fully reflects the diversity of the region and world, in which all community members can feel included, connected, and valued, and that fully embeds and fosters well-being for people, places, and planet. Please explore how our university serves and supports our community members.
Black Artistic Freedom Conference
The Black AF Conference Planning Committee invites you to join them February 21-22 for the Black Artistic Freedom Conference 2025. Events include the W.E.B. DuBois Poetry Slam Invitational; Black AF Symposium: Hip-Hop Praxis from the Classes to the World; and the Black AF Closing Dinner. All events are free and open to the public.
MLK Jr. Day of Racial Healing Community Gathering
Recorded Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Our featured speaker, Yamiche Alcindor, is a widely respected voice in journalism and Washington correspondent to NBC News, who presented "Black History and the Legacy of MLK: Purpose, Truth and Justice".
A recording of the event is available to UMass students and employees only until February 21. Please contact ekardan@umass.edu for the link. A UMass email address will be required.
Imagining 2034: Our Strategic Plan
The university's multi-stage strategic planning process will be informed by a respect for UMass Amherst’s rich history as the commonwealth’s flagship campus and public-land grant institution, ambition for excellence in all we do, and recognition of our responsibility to steward our financial and human resources. The planning process incorporates existing school and college strategic visions, aspirations, and goals, in addition to understanding opportunities for—and impediments to—success. UMass Amherst will strive for inclusion and transparency in every aspect of this important process.
James Baldwin Centennial with Eddie Glaude Jr.
Watch the recording of Eddie Glaude's Keynote on James Baldwin and the promise of democracy. Recorded November 7, 2024. Glaude, Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the author of the New York Times bestseller Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, explored Baldwin’s vision and the promise of democracy. Begin Again takes an exhaustive look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States and the challenges we face as a democracy.
Where to Turn for Help
As valued members of the UMass community, we stand together in fostering an environment of support and empowerment. Your voice matters in preventing and addressing mistreatment, bias, or discrimination. Explore the resources available to you and trust that we're here to assist you every step of the way. If you or someone you know has been harmed, please explore these resources for reporting and support.