This email campaign builds upon the work of others in the community, including the change.org petition by Black Curriculum Matters. For more information about the issues addressed in this email, please see these additional resources:
Hello,
My name is [FULL NAME] and I am a [STUDENT/ALUMNUS/ALUMNA/FACULTY/STAFF/ETC.] at DePaul University. I demand that DePaul reverse its racist tenure denial against Professor Lisa Calvente, and I demand that she be granted tenure.
Professor Calvente zeros in on Critical Race Theory in her Communications courses, providing an open, honest, and rich curriculum filled with the truths and realities of marginalized people, particularly the Black people of the African Diaspora. Even though DePaul claims to pride itself on diversity, Professor Calvente has received significant undeserved backlash from her colleagues for her essential work.
Professor Calvente is one of the few Black faculty members at DePaul University, where White has always been the default. DePaul has compounded its lack of representation of Black educators and educators of Color by prioritizing the emotional comfort of the university’s white majority over the learning effectiveness of important diverse curricula like Professor Calvente’s.
Attending or teaching at a predominantly white institution can be isolating for Black people because of the lack of self-reflection in the broader curriculum. It is not a coincidence that a Black professor who teaches important courses about the power systems of white supremacy and the value of the Black identity has been given such a hard time and has been illegitimately denied tenure, as a number of other Black faculty and other faculty of Color have also had the same experience at DePaul in recent years.
Thousands of students and other members of the DePaul community have signed a petition demanding that Professor Calvente be granted tenure, and I send you this email to join and amplify their voices:
https://www.change.org/p/depaul-university-justice-for-professor-lisa-calvente-s-tenure-at-depaul-univerity
I am tired of Black people being erased in history or being thrown in the garbage disposal for speaking their truths. I demand that Professor Lisa Calvente, a true Black educator, be granted her tenure!
Sincerely,
[YOUR FULL NAME]
[YOUR MAJOR AND GRADUATION YEAR]
[YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS]
[YOUR PHONE NUMBER]
Recipients:
Very Rev. Raymond Van Dorpe, CM
Trustee, DePaul University
Provincial Superior, Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission
Lori L. Holland
Chair, Board of Trustees
Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, PhD
President, DePaul University
Dr. Salma Ghanem, PhD
Interim Provost, DePaul University
Stephanie B. Smith, DBA
Vice President, Human Resources
Rev. Guillermo (Memo) Campuzano, CM
Vice President, Mission and Ministry
Dr. Alexandra Murphy, PhD
Acting Dean
College of Communication
Dr. Michaela Winchatz, PhD
Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs
Dr. Elizabeth F. Ortiz, EdD
Vice President, Institutional Diversity and Equity
Dr. Scott Paeth, PhD
President, Faculty Council
CCed:
Gisselle Cervantes
President, Student Government Association
Marissa Nelson
Editor-in-Chief, 14 East Magazine
Shane René
Editor-in-Chief, The DePaulia
Colin McMahon
Editor-in-Chief, Chicago Tribune
Chris Fusco Editor-in-Chief, Chicago Sun-Times
Jim Kirk
Publisher & Executive Editor, Crain’s Chicago Business