05/31/2020
Thank you to African American faculty colleagues at Hood for understanding and speaking to the needs of our students in a letter sent today.
May 31, 2020
Dear Hood College Black Student Union, African Student Association, and African American Studies Minors:
We, the African American faculty at Hood College, stand with you in unity. We have witnessed the events of the past several nights, and experienced the frustration and anger engendered by the reasons that created a need for the protests. We, like you, understand that the protests and frustrations are not just about the murder of African Americans by law enforcement. They are also about the daily harassments and indignities suffered by African Americans at the hands of the criminal justice system, and of far too many other entities and individuals. We, too, have been greatly impacted by the frustration inherent in witnessing a disproportionate number of black and brown people die from the Covid-19 pandemic. We understand that the anger in the country at this time is about the structural inequality that has created seemingly insurmountable barriers to progress. We stand with you in unity.
At times it seems that things have not gotten better, but we must all remember that people working together in solidarity have made changes in society. We realize that it does not feel like this at the present moment. The pain of what we are witnessing, experiencing, seems overwhelming. The static nature of how black lives are devalued in this country is maddening, but remember that we can facilitate change. We as a people can and will prevail. History tells us that change has occurred through the persistence of those who stand up for justice and work to eliminate racism. The foot soldiers who woke up each morning and put one foot in front of the other on the path toward freedom during the Modern Civil Rights Movement did not stop. They worked to create new moral paradigms; they successfully urged the creation of new legislation. They stood together for the cause of liberty, of justice, to force a nation to confront its wicked reality and to make the words written in the founding documents apply to all. We can and must continue the work of those foot soldiers as we march toward a world of equity and justice.
We, the African American faculty at Hood College, are here to help create and maintain community. At this time, we ask that you take care of yourselves both physically and mentally. If you are struggling and need help, please reach out to any one of us and we will help you.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated: "Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be." If you are searching for ways that you can get involved in facilitating change, there are links at the end of this message that you might find helpful.
Signed,
Dr. Terry Anne Scott – Associate Professor of History, Director of African Americans Studies
Dr. Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs – Associate Professor of Political Science, Department Chair, Virginia E. Lewis Professor of Political Science
Dr. Diane R. Graves – Associate Professor of Psychology – Program Director, Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Behavior
Dr. Atiya R. Smith – Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counseling, Advisor to BSU
Dr. Malikah Marrus – Assistant Professor of Social Work
**Things that you can do now to eradicate racial injustice and promote change**:
The following link includes numbers for various offices in Minnesota. You can call today to urge officials to arrest the three police officers who remain free as of today:
https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/call-for-justice-for-george-floyd?fbclid=IwAR1VeabjxIR9NPemklnzaPXwWsWjntwobHUgYb_cwBRMKSg3X05B05iIPjg
https://www.aclu.org/other/fighting-police-abuse-community-action-manual
https://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/
https://www.uunorthfield.org/docs/Things%20We%20Can%20Do%20to%20End%20Racism.pdf
https://www.uunorthfield.org/docs/Things%20We%20Can%20Do%20to%20End%20Racism.pdf
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SecuringJustice&gclid=CjwKCAjwq832BRA5EiwACvCWsW4bnoH2gEcBsDsoDxPgi3ia3NtbccxAIhDQhJBA_0IDr6dKTLiC5BoCijoQAvD_BwE
https://www.splcenter.org/teaching-tolerance
https://www.naacp.org/
NAACP
The NAACP has started a social movement and we need your voice to make one thing clear: We Are Done Dying. Join us, as we urge Congress to take every measure in ensuring we protect Black lives. Take action now. Focus Areas: 1. Federal Advocacy 2. Education 3. Economic Opportunity 4. Criminal Justice 5.
www.naacp.org
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
