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‘Mormon Land’: A deeper look at BYU’s report on campus racism and how the school can fix it

On this week’s podcast, a Native American law professor discusses how the LDS Church’s flagship university can help students of color who feel isolated and unsafe.

(Screenshot via Brigham Young University) A new report released by Brigham Young University finds that students of color often “feel isolated and unsafe as a result of their experiences with racism at BYU."

Brigham Young University released a 64-page report from a faculty committee last week on “Race, Equity and Belonging” at the Provo school.

It exposed widespread and significant concerns about the mistreatment of minority students who attend the private university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Many students of color end up transferring or dropping out as a result of experiences that “left many disillusioned, brokenhearted and struggling.” The report noted that “current systems at the university are inadequate for coordinating services for students seeking assistance with challenges related to race” and recommended 26 changes as “first steps” toward addressing the problems.

On this week’s podcast, BYU law professor Michalyn Steele, the committee’s only Native American, discussed the report and why she remains optimistic that meaningful changes will occur to make the school a better place for all.

Listen here: