MILWAUKEE, Wis., Dec. 11, 2023 – In his thought-provoking remarks made before the Board vote on Saturday December 9th, Regent Colón challenges the status quo of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) practices withing the UW system and questions the effectiveness of current approaches.
Héctor sees a unique opportunity for a paradigm shift in how the UW System embodies and practices EDI values.
Begin Remarks
“I’d like for us to reflect on some of our current EDI practices and ask yourself are these things moving the needle? Titles, affinity groups, flags, or terms like Latin X – Some would say tokenism. These approaches have not moved the needle in our UW system.
I would argue that this proposal is an opportunity for us to do things differently. My concern is, are we going to do things differently? How are we going to do things differently?
What if we lived out equity, diversity and inclusion through our UW System values, our actions, our culture? It becomes who we are and how we behave. If we approach it this way, it’s not something that can be removed.
Can we do vs say. Can we act vs sharing a statement?
The UW Board of Regents has an opportunity, and great responsibility, to act on our EDI values and impact our culture through our decision of this $800M proposal. We can make a real difference.
- Right now, pay is being held up at UW affecting the livelihood of employees and their families, including those from underrepresented groups.
- We need individuals from diverse backgrounds in healthcare, engineering, and technology. The $32M dollars will help make this happen.
- I can imagine a future student – Roberto Hernandez – who has hopes of going to the engineering school in Madison and how this experience could transform his life and create wealth not only for him but for future generations of his family.
I want to make it very clear my personal faith guides me to believe in equity, diversity and inclusion because it’s the moral thing to do, the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. My remarks today are rooted in the greatest of God’s 10 commandments – love your neighbor as yourself – a principle that transcends faith traditions and bridges across differences.
I don’t think our current EDI efforts have inspired us to do this. Is there a better way? I think our decision today may be divided which would be uncharacteristic for this board. I hope my remarks and others today will unite us even more than we have been in the past.”
End Remarks
