By: Jennifer Flores
Established in 2017 by the W.K. Kellog Foundation, National Day of Racial Healing was created to follow up Martin Luther King Jr. Day and acknowledge justice, equity, and shared humanity. This year, Dominican took part in honoring the event on Jan. 20.
The Office of Justice, Equity, and Inclusion (OJEI) hosted a Keynote, with guest Speaker Dr. Julie J. Park, to highlight the sudden threat that the Trump administration has imposed on institutions with racially and economically diverse backgrounds. Professors and students were invited to join via Zoom to understand the effects of the recent political climate and learn about the rights and responsibilities that are accessible to keep higher education inclusive.
Dr. Precious Porras, Vice President of OJEI opened the meeting by acknowledging that Dominican’s values of faith, learning, and dignity directly align with racial healing.
“Racial Healing in this context is not about taking sides. It’s about choosing understanding over division and truth over silence. As a university, our mission compels us to educate the whole person,” Dr. Porras said.
Jacky Neri Arias, assistant vice president for Hispanic Serving and Culturally Sustaining Initiatives, had the honor to introduce Dr. Julie J. Park.
Dr. Park is a professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the University of Maryland. Her research is rooted in acknowledging racial equity in higher education, and structural advantages/disadvantages of Asian Americans’ experience in education.
Over the years, she has published two books; Race of Campus: Debunking Myth with Data and When Diversity Drops: Race, Religion, and Affirmative Action in Higher Education. In her upcoming release, Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era, she touches on a recent case about race-based admissions.
“The book analyzes the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. It provides insight into the case and how it has been weaponized in the Trump 2.0 era. The book discusses options that institutions can still use to advance access, and highlights untested legal defenses for race-conscious admissions,” Park said.
During the presentation, Dr. Park discussed how 2025 was a year that will likely have long-lasting effects on higher education due to the actions of the current administration. One example being, the ending of DEI (Diverse, Equity, and Inclusion) Programs, which became a threat to Dominican earlier that year.
Neri Arias continues to be outspoken on the harm it has caused to the institution, as well as the systemic issues it has faced.
“Higher education, including Dominican University, was not designed for the current demographics of our students, nor are institutions prepared for the rapidly changing student populations. While DU has a history of educating immigrants, racism has long been ignored as a factor that impacts retention until more recent years when our student body drastically changed to now enrolling an overwhelming majority students of color.”
Despite the administration labeling DEI as “illegal”, Dr. Park reassures that practices such as class-based affirmative action and consideration in a student’s experiences continue to be legal in the admission process.
She acknowledged that at times, the higher education ecosystem will be a letdown, but it is important to stick with core values and purpose, especially professors.
“I hope that they are able to maintain hope and remember that they can continue to do their work in a way that honors the inherent worth of all students,” Dr. Park said.
In attendance was Dr. Judith Singleton, assistant professor of Sociology, who felt inspired by Dr. Park’s address and is grateful to be part of a Dominican that continues to advocate for inclusive programming. Previously, she felt disappointment in learning that her Alma Matter fully gave into Trump’s anti-DEI policies for research funding purposes and has now started pulling back on the acceptance of black students.
“We still have to teach about social justice and teach the positive effect of diversity. This is a very dark time, but we have to, as [Dr. Park] suggested, we have to keep the fight while we moveforward” she said.
Affirmative Action? Sounds a little racist.