Cleon Cauley, the University's Chief Operations Officer, has been named along with Del State alumna and State Rep. Stephanie Bolden as the Co-Chairs of the newly established African American Task Force to study inequities in communities of people of color in Delaware. — *In this photo:* Cleon Cauley, the University’s Chief Operations Officer, has been named along with Del State alumna and State Rep. Stephanie Bolden as the Co-Chairs of the newly established African American Task Force to study inequities in communities of people of color in Delaware.

On Campus

Cleon Cauley, Rep. Stephanie Bolden co-chair African American Task Force

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Delaware State University is the source of the leadership of the newly created African American Task Force (AATF) with Cleon L. Cauley, Esq., University Chief Operations Officer, and State Rep. Stephanie T. Bolden, Del State Class of 1969 alumna, serving as Co-Chairs.

The 27-member AATF has been established to study inequities within socioeconomically marginalized African American communities in the First State. Specifically, the task force will examine and report on inequitable education, health care, housing, economic opportunities, voting rights, environmental justice, community violence, and criminal justice. State Rep. Stephanie Bolden

In addition to the co-chairs, other Del State alumni have been named to the Task Force – State Rep. Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha, State Sen. Darius Brown, and Cerron Cade, Cabinet Secretary of the Delaware Department of Labor.

“Everyone involved with the African American Task Force is culturally competent and brings different perspectives to the table, and I am eager to get to work,” said Rep. Bolden. “The sad reality is that Black Americans continue to have unequal life experiences – and that needs to change. We must resolve to fix these inequalities in Delaware, and this task force is committed to producing positive change.”

Originally proposed by the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus, the state General Assembly formally established the AATF through its inclusion in the 2020 Grant-in-Aid bill.

“Creating this group to investigate the many health, law enforcement, education, and other disparities affecting people of color across the State, and to make data-driven recommendations for eliminating them, is a critical step forward,” said Mr. Cauley. “Not only has the Governor put the right people on the task force to get the job done, but I can also promise that my University will fully commit our intellectual capital to support this process.”

The task force is scheduled to hold its first virtual Zoom meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. The public will be able to offer comments during the public comment portion of the meeting or in advance via email at AfricanAmericanTaskForce [at] delaware.gov. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the General Assembly’s YouTube channel.