Caroline Laguerre-Brown Keynote Address

Caroline Laguerre-Brown

Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement, George Washington University

"My passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion work is rooted in my background and heritage. I am a first generation American of Haitian descent. 

My childhood memories are punctuated by rich traditions, language, food, and music.

When I was about nine years old, my father owned an old apartment building and often had to deal with city agencies. Given that English was his second language, I would sometimes attend meetings with him to serve as a translator. I distinctly remember that I was saddened by the fact that the people we encountered were often hostile and impatient with him because he was not yet fluent in English. At such a young age, I did not have the words to describe what I witnessed on these trips but I knew innately that there was complexity around his Blackness and his status as a non-English speaking foreigner.

One day, I accompanied him to a meeting with a man I had never met before in a small office in Downtown Brooklyn I’d never been to. At that meeting, I found myself struck by how patient and respectful the man was and noted that he called my Dad “Mr. Laguerre” in a pleasant tone of voice. I also noticed that I did not have to translate as much during this visit.

When my Dad and I left his office I asked him, “Who is that man and what does he do for you?” He answered simply, “He’s my lawyer. He speaks for me, like you do.” In that moment, my career path was born. As I matured and developed a clearer understanding of my goal, I was deeply motivated by a desire to speak for those who do rarely have a seat at the table.

I have been chasing that ideal ever since. As a prosecutor in the county where I was raised I pursued the work of equity in every case that I touched because the complainants and the defendants were my neighbors.

I want you to hear from me that the future is bright, not only for the work of the Equity Institute Initiative, but also for what this Institute means to the George Washington University’s commitment to academic excellence.

The work of the Equity Institute Initiative is a key priority to the leadership of our University because it serves a key role in helping to carry out GW’s commitment to diversity, equity, community engagement, and social justice.

First the vision. This is the right time and this is the right place to build on the vision of  establishing an Equity Institute at the George Washington University. Dean Matthew, Dr. Glaude, and Kristen Clarke eloquently captured the urgency of this moment.

Our university is uniquely situated, as the largest institution of higher education in the heart of the nation’s capital, to establish a significant scholarly presence dedicated to racial and ethnic equity in America and in the world.

As an anchor institution located in Washington, DC, we have the capacity to forge community partnerships at home and abroad that will help improve the lives of the most vulnerable in societies around the world.

I hope the Equity Institute Initiative will move next to formalizing a research infrastructure that will support the research of the caliber that we saw showcased today.

I am excited to see the Equity Institute Initiative support the creation of new research partnerships; train students in the best practices of community engaged research; attract new sources of research funding to the university; and establish a social justice community of scholars that will help GW recruit and retain the nation's best minds in this field.

This was an unforgettable academic experience. But the challenge I now lay before you, as the University’s Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement, is to take us into our University’s third century by building a truly transformational research institute that will create an intellectual home for collaborations across the University.

I challenge you to grow the impact of GW’s instructional and research resources aimed at eliminating racial, ethnic, and socio-economic inequality.

I invite the Equity Institute to take advantage of our location in the nation’s capital to influence leaders and leaders-to-be to contribute to justice, fairness, and equity in the United States of America and around the world.

Thank you, Dean Matthew for your leadership, brilliance, and courage."