Emerson College

Emerson's School of the Arts states that it would "support the College’s efforts to recruit students of diverse backgrounds by creating enrollment and pathway programs."

As part of the "Beyond Racial Equity Strategic Review Report and Recommendations" update, the Vice President for Equity & Social Justice at Emerson stated (October 2022), "To better retain and support students, staff, and faculty historically and traditionally excluded from higher education, and invest in their growth to ensure their success, the College will form a Retention Working Group focused on BIPOC students, international students, students with disabilities, and all students with marginalized identities."

On June 29, 2023, Emerson's President issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads as follows: "While we are profoundly disappointed with the outcome of these Supreme Court cases, we reaffirm that equity, access, and social justice are core values of Emerson College. We remain committed to recruiting, cultivating and supporting students who reflect our diverse society. We will continue to pursue these goals to the best of our ability within the confines of the law."

In 2022, as part of its "Departmental Commitment to Equity and Social Justice" statement, Emerson's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has "formalized our practice of not requiring the GREs and have committed to not considering them as part of the application process now or in the future." This was done in order to "recruit and educate a new generation of SLPs who better reflect the population we serve in clinical practice."

As part of its Diversity Plan, the School of Communication will "[work] closely with Emerson Admissions and the Enrollment Office to support their efforts to recruit, admit, attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds...."

Emerson's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan states that the "strategic enrollment plan will attract, enroll, and retain an inclusive student population, supporting Emerson’s long-term goals and priorities."

Emerson College Vice Provost for Internationalization and Equity contributed to an article on mandating CRT training in which he stated, “the very essence of a liberal education makes teaching of Critical Race Theory an educational imperative.”

The School of the Arts at Emerson will "work with CITL to develop training for department chairs and faculty mentors on equitable practices of recruitment, mentoring, and retention." The school also states that "SoArts faculty and staff will participate in an intercultural fluency workshop every three years...workshops will feature mentoring/training on pedagogy for diversity, equity, and inclusion."

As part of its staff recruiting strategies, Emerson's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan states that it would ensure "robust and unbiased hiring practices and [provide] professional development that considers diverse learning needs...."

Regarding its curriculum, Emerson's School of the Arts states that "each department and program will review and, if necessary, redesign first-year and second-year level required core-courses in both studies and practice for diverse content and inclusive methods." Additionally, "departments and the School will work with Academic Affairs to draft program review guidelines related to diversity, equity, and inclusion."

In 2022, as part of its "Departmental Commitment to Equity and Social Justice" statement, Emerson's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has made several changes to its curriculum, including the addition of a new "Health and Social Change" major and training students in "culturally responsive frameworks."

As part of its Diversity Plan, the School of Communication states the following: "Within two years, all academic programs in the School of Communication will have at least one learning outcome addressing advanced issues of diversity and inclusion as part of their required curriculum...Within three years, all majors and programs in the School of Communication will have at least one course addressing advanced issues of diversity and inclusion as part of the required curriculum."

In response to the "Community Equity Action Plan" which states - "every employee at Emerson College to undergo racial bias training," Emerson would "Develop a sustainable curriculum of racial bias training for staff" and "Introduce racial bias training into new employee orientation." These trainings "will be required of all employees."

In 2022, as part of its "Departmental Commitment to Equity and Social Justice" statement, Emerson's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is "continuing to provide and require additional training on inclusive pedagogy from an anti-racism perspective for all faculty and staff, including those who teach part-time in our on-campus or online modalities."

The Social Justice Center at Emerson College hosts weekly discussions to take solidarity in calls to anti-racist action.

Emerson's "Dean's Fellows for Racial Equity and Leadership Development" is described as follows: "Fellows work closely with the Dean’s leadership team (department chairs, associate deans and program directors), faculty, BIPOC and other student organizations to facilitate dialogue and actions promoting racial justice, equity, healing and inclusion within the academic environment."

The Social Justice Collaborative at Emerson "works with and supports individuals and communities through personal and systems advocacy, community-centered projects, and radical care." SJC believes in "individual and community self-determination and work[s] in support of the agency of students, faculty, and staff, especially those from marginalized groups."

Emerson students who take the Undergraduate Social Impact Design Minor "apply skills learned in the arts and communication[s] to tackle critical social justice issues."

Emerson's Department of Intercultural Student Affairs hosts the Social Justice Academy which "will help expand students’ tool kits in identifying and addressing systems of oppression so they might recognize and utilize their own capital to help bring about positive change."

The 2025 Diversity Fellows Program "invites participants to critically reflect upon their pedagogical approaches...and how social realities and futures are related to their courses." Fellows will work to "implement a specific, equity-oriented pedagogical shift" and will receive $1,000 for their efforts.

In response to the "Community Equity Action Plan," Emerson has taken several measures to change how its police department interacts with the Emerson community which included the following action: "Work specifically with ECAPS, CHW, and HRE to reinforce and promote staff and resources that provide alternatives to contacting ECPD, with specific focus on RA training. Create alternative hotline."

In response to the student led demonstrations of 2021 by the organization Protesting Oppression with Education Reform (POWER), the college created the Community Equity Action Plan that focuses on dismantling systemic oppression, racism, embedded power and privilege, and create a culture of accountability by taking direct actions on each of the protestors demands that range from redistributing Emerson College Police Department funds, issuing a public apology by the college, increase funding and support for diverse students, require anti-racist training to all staff, and conducting an entire college anti-racist curriculum review.

The Emerson College Library provides the “Radical Guide for Social Justice: Anti-Racist Practices” with numerous resources on anti-racism, activism, white fragility, critical race theory, and social justice including readings from Ibram X. Kendi and many others.

Beginning January 2022, Emerson College professor Kim McLarin was appointed as the College’s Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies. McLarin is an author and known for her racially divisive anti-white rhetoric where she states that blacks and whites cannot be friends and that she herself does not trust white people.

The college hosted numerous Teach-Ins on Race with topics ranging from Critical Race Theory, Social Justice, Power of Activism, and Accountability.

In 2023, Emerson has continued its ongoing "Teach-In on Race" lecture series which has included events titled; "Lessons from Combahee: What Black Resistance Can Teach Higher Ed," "Teaching While Black: How Cultural Legacies, Creative and Communication Arts Education, and Institutional Racism Have and Are Impacting the Experiences of Black Professors," and "Talking About Race."

Demand one of the "Community Equity Action Plan" states that "Every Emerson College course must undergo an anti-racist syllabus review and audit conducted by an organization or third party approved by students by Fall 2021." According to this webpage, "The tasks for these demands are in progress."

Emerson has many college-wide committees including the "Educational Equity and Justice Council" which "Reflects on, advocates for, and prioritizes projects of educational equity and social justice in the academic and extracurricular life of the College, including pedagogy, curricula, faculty training and support, and the cultural climate."

On June 15, 2023, Emerson's Board of Trustees issued a "Trustee Diversity Statement and Commitment," which reads as follows: "The Board felt strongly that it should create and share a clear statement about how diversity, equity and social justice play into decision-making for the College, particularly following the Beyond Racial Equity strategic review. In a political climate where DEI in higher education is being demonized and dismantled in some locations, the statement is a pillar demonstrating that Emerson remains steadfastly committed to this work."

In September 2022, Emerson published the "Beyond Racial Equity’s Strategic Review Full Report & Recommendations."

Emerson's 2025 Teach-In on Race series includes "DEI in Academia" and "Fostering Belonging through Equity and Empowerment Lens."

On September 26, 2024, Emerson Today announced that Communication Studies Assistant Professor Sharifa Simon-Roberts "received the award for Top Faculty Paper from the Popular Media and Culture Division at the International Communication Association (ICA)." The paper is titled “Not Just Made for My Pure Entertainment: Social Justice Movies as Tools for Fueling Consciousness, Conversations, Change” and has been published in the Howard Journal of Communications.

On April 12, 2025, Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley "joined Emerson College students to speak about the critical role higher education plays in protecting democracy." The topics discussed included DEI in education, abortion rights, and race-based admissions.

Emerson's "Fusion" is a social justice collaborative that "seeks to foster a more welcoming and supportive environment for employees in the Emerson community who self-identify as people of color." The collaborative also "seeks to advocate for changes within the College that support the strategic goal of making Emerson a forerunner in diversity, equity, and inclusion."

Emerson's 2025 Strategic Plan is "informed" by several documents and reports, including the "Beyond Racial Equity Strategic Review Report" and "A Culture That Inspires: Initial Roadmap Equity, Access, and Social Justice (EASJ) at Emerson College."

The Presidential Advisory Group for Community and Equity "will be advisory to the President and Vice President for Equity & Social Justice, and serve as the College’s central equity, access, and social justice advisory committee." The committee is comprised of up to 31 students, staff, and faculty.

The college has recently hosted a panel discussing the removal of "offensive monuments".

As part of a June 16, 2023 post titled "Celebrating and Reflecting on Juneteenth," Emerson's President stated, "Emerson’s commitment to pursuing racial and social justice is essential to fully live our values...We know that the members of the Black community face the triple burden of colorism, racism, and anti-blackness, evidenced in the many inequities that exist, from redlining, to mass incarceration, to weathering."

In 2022, as part of its "Departmental Commitment to Equity and Social Justice" statement, Emerson College’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders stated the following: "We stand with minoritized friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors, and commit to social justice and equity across our nation and within our field. We also commit to actively engage in strengthening anti-racist and identity-affirming processes by challenging long-standing processes that perpetuate systemic injustices and violence, as well as barriers to inclusion in our learning spaces and communities."

Emerson's Department of Intercultural Student Affairs hosts "Cultural Graduation Celebrations" which include the "Mosaic Graduation Celebration." This graduation ceremony "celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of Emerson’s graduating self-identifying students of color."

Emerson's Department of Intercultural Student Affairs hosts the "BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] Student Pre-Orientation" program which is "open to all new first time students and provides an opportunity for self-identified students of color to build community with each other" and is "particularly relevant for students from traditionally underrepresented groups/backgrounds."