Rhode Island School of Design president Rosanne Somerson has announced a series of initiatives to address the racism that has "pervaded systems and structures at RISD for decades", following pressure from students and staff.

Somerson revealed the school's plan to tackle racism in an open letter sent to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) community, following a call for the school to do more for social equity and inclusion amid racial unrest in the US.
"As the leader of RISD, I take responsibility"
"Over recent weeks BIPOC [black, Indigenous and people of colour] students, faculty, staff and alumni have voiced outrage about RISD's multiple racist issues centered around deeply embedded practices and structures as well as how white voices and Western perspectives dominate our curricula," Somerson wrote. "Unfortunately, these issues are not new; they have pervaded systems and structures at RISD for decades, largely unchanged," she added. "As the leader of RISD, I take responsibility for having allowed a culture to continue to exist that does not fully live up to our values."
RISD, a private art and design school in Providence, created its anti-racist plan in response to issues highlighted by the student-led RISD Anti-Racism Coalition (risdARC) and a group of BIPOC faculty members.
"We are committing to a new set of actions to inspire a better RISD"
The letter highlights four key aims: cultivating an ever-more d...