Black students have traditionally been disenfranchised, unrepresented, and underserved in institutions of higher education in the United States (Harper & Hurtado, 2007). UVA's treatment of students of color, but most notably black students, is consistent with this pattern of maltreatment (see: Black Student Alliance demands ). In light of the University's history and the civic unrest that we are experiencing, it seems prudent to focus on elevating and addressing the experiences of Black students to gain sustainable improvements in the lived experiences of Black students.

Yes, inequities exist for many groups at UVA. Our current focus on Black students does not diminish the inequities that other students have experienced. Rather it highlights a particular slice of the student experience that cuts across many different identities. Marginalized groups are more likely to report similar sentiments of isolation, alienation and stereotyping (Harper & Hurtado, 2007). Multiple studies have shown, however, that Black students in particular report lower levels of satisfaction with racial climates and “perceive differential treatment on the basis of race more frequently” than other marginalized groups (Harper & Hurtado, 2007). By bringing attention to struggles of black students, it opens a conversation as to how marginalized individuals of all communities are treated on predominantly white campuses and brings forth solutions that could benefit all groups. In the future, we hope to scale the project up to include other marginalized communities.

We currently do not have an official release date for the video. We plan to release the initial video once we have a representative number of shared student voices.

If you are concerned about potential backlash that may result from your participation, please reach out - we are ready to partner with you and be an active advocate on your behalf. Additionally, we have compiled a list of resources both on and off-Grounds to ensure support is readily available to you.

We acknowledge that there may be risks associated with sharing your story but believe that the benefits outweigh these risks. The Center for American Progress shares that Student Voices Initiatives encourage the following:

1. Students as representatives with real power over university policies

2. Voting student members with equal power to adult members

3. Open conversations between students and decision-makers

Your stories are instrumental in creating productive change at UVA.

Yes, sharing your experience is not the only way to bring awareness to injustice. We know that sharing your experience can be very hard, especially in video form, but sharing your experience, to the degree that you feel comfortable, is the best way to ensure that your voice is being heard.

However, if you are unable to share your story via video, voice recording, or in written format, your responses to the Racial Climate Survey will inform UVA of its racial climate. If you are an organization, opting to endorse the project aids in depicting the role student involvement plays in justice-centered initiatives.

No, this is not part of an actual research project conducted by the five faculty members who direct Motivate Lab. We are not interested in publishing findings from this initiative; we want real change. This project is a student-driven, action-oriented initiative focused on giving students a platform to share their experiences in the hopes of providing a reference point for decision-makers as they work to enact institutional change at UVA. We feel that students must be heard as decisions are made and hope that this initiative allows for long-term change by giving UVA an outlet to monitor the institution's racial climate continually.

There are several ways to get involved with SVoI, including endorsing, recruiting, or sharing.

If you are an organization interested in supporting our work, endorsing is a great way to do so. By filling out the endorsement form , you can indicate to what capacity your organization would be willing to leverage our work. Additionally, this can provide a partnership for SVoI to elevate similar projects within your organization.

Recruiting more Black students and alumni means more, representative voices within our project. If you are an organization or an individual interested in using your social circles to recruit student voices, reach out to Sasha Miller-Marshall ( sm7ec@virginia.edu ) or Hadassah Muthoka ( hmm4pg@virginia.edu ).

Lastly, if you are a Black student or alum interested in sharing your story, you can do so by completing our Racial Climate Survey . This survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and allows us to gather data we can provide to UVA administration about the racial climate at UVA while also providing concrete accounts of injustice experienced while on Grounds.