Building Racial Equity
Bank Street College believes in the humanity of all people and is committed to its historic values of social justice and equity for all. As part of the College’s work towards building racial consciousness and fluency across our institution, Bank Street creates spaces of dialogue and learning around issues of race, history, and systemic racism to build a more inclusive and equitable environment for students, faculty, and staff.
In our work with school systems, program partners, and communities, Bank Street further supports the principles of anti-racism. Our work encourages leaders, educators, caregivers, and families to examine the systemic racism that is internalized by all of us and engage in anti-racist practices and interventions that dismantle systems of oppression in schools and communities. This critical work supports the tenets of social justice and equity to help close opportunity gaps and transform those structures and systems that devalue the lives of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Every day, Bank Street educators help adults and children construct knowledge around biases, building relationships, naming injustice, and working together to change the world.
In the words of Bank Street’s founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell, we see in education the opportunity to build a more just and democratic society for all.
- Note from Bank Street President Shael Polakow-Suransky on opening up dialogue
- Note from Bank Street President Shael Polakow-Suransky on the war in Israel and Gaza
- View our public statement affirming our commitment to anti-racist education and policy
- Equity & Culturally Responsive Resources
- Bank Street Library Resource Guide
- Note of solidarity in response to violent threats and assaults on the Asian American & Pacific Islander community
- Anti-Racist Resources focused on Anti-Asian Racism, Violence, & Rhetoric