Dear Members of the Campus Community,
The murder of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020, galvanized our country and the world around them an urgent call to end anti-Black racism and achieve social justice and equity for every human being.
And throughout this very long year of bringing this case to trial and reaching a verdict, we continue to endure the horrific loss of life at the hands of a society that remains systematically oppressive and lethal to people of color—day after day after day.
Today marks an important moment in a struggle that has consumed our country since even before its founding; how we respond to the Chauvin verdict – now and in the days ahead – matters, what we say matters, what we do matter. So I urge us all to take time to process was happened today: how it affects us, how it changes us, and what it means for our path forward in becoming the country and the people we aspire to be.
I urge us to be in the community; please see the message sent earlier today from Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Uchenna Baker and Interim Chief Diversity Officer Sunil Kukreja about opportunities to connect and reflect with one another.
This is a big day, an important day. It cannot undo what has been done, but today points to a way forward. We hold Mr. Floyd’s loved ones close in our hearts, as we do the families of all who have been lost to acts of violence.
Isiaah.
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President.