Still Work To Do: An Open Letter Friday, June 19, 2020, at 10:30 a.m.
An open letter to our campus community:
The senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others have compelled all of us to face some difficult, painful truths about who we are as a society, as a nation, and frankly, as human beings. 手中的暴力 of police, the passionate protests, and the raw, emotional stories shared by the Black community have left us grappling with a monumental question: where do we go from here?
As the leadership team at 杰克逊维尔大学, we acknowledge that we have much to learn and a great deal of work to do. Over the past few weeks, we have been listening 全球网络赌博平台将继续倾听. We sincerely thank you for participating in the listening sessions and in candid conversations among students and colleagues. 你已经分享了 openly with us your own painful experiences, both on our campus and in the broader community, and we would like to respond by stating:
- 黑人的生命很重要. To all our Black students, faculty, and staff: We see you and 听到你的声音. We will work tirelessly to build a campus and classroom environment where 你感到安全和被支持.
- We acknowledge that white privilege is real and must be addressed.
- Brutal violence against people of color at the hands of police must stop.
Creating a safer, more equitable world begins here on our own campus. 公开对话 is a start, but we must remain intentional about educating ourselves. 作为一个机构 of higher education, we believe in the power of learning and its ability to reshape 全球网络赌博平台的思想和行为.
For that reason, we urge members of our campus community to join us in a 21-day Racial 公平习惯养成挑战. As your senior leaders, we commit to read, listen or watch something every day that furthers our understanding of issues that impact the Black community -- issues involving power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and 股本. 这里有一些 资源 来帮助全球网络赌博平台开始.
This initiative emerged as a recommendation from 体育运动 senior leadership after a series of eye-opening conversations with coaches and staff, and it was unanimously 由全球网络赌博平台的高级内阁批准. The 21-day challenge was originally developed by Dr. 小艾迪·摩尔. and Debby Irving and has been adopted by many organizations. 根据 to research, it takes 21 days to build a habit. Our hope is that this daily practice would take root in all our lives and continue well beyond the next three weeks.
We chose June 19th to begin this challenge in honor of Juneteenth -- a symbolic day that regrettably has passed largely unnoticed on our campus. 六月节是最古老的节日 nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that 被奴役的人现在自由了.
This felt like a fitting day to recommit ourselves to the important work of building a more equitable, inclusive, and informed campus community.
We recognize many of you will be skeptical about these words and efforts. 是很困难的 to hope for real change after generations of disappointment and empty promises. We are committed to earning your trust and we realize that won’t happen overnight.
In the days and weeks ahead, we plan to share more information about our newly formed Diversity and 包容 Councils, and how our students, faculty, and staff can get 参与他们的工作. The recent listening sessions with our students have helped identify some of the key issues the councils can begin to address, including increased accountability and transparency for bias-related investigations, improved support and 资源 for minority students on campus, and more 资源 for faculty and staff to on how to create an inclusive environment.
The burden of creating change will not fall solely on their shoulders, however. 每一个 member of our campus, starting with leadership, bears a personal responsibility in creating an inclusive campus culture that celebrates diversity and actively fights back against racism, discrimination, and hate.
These are the first of many important steps that make up the road ahead. 全球网络赌博平台在 this for the long haul and will approach the journey from a place of humility and 同情.
真诚地,
81年的蒂姆·科斯特，总统
Dr. 克里斯·萨皮恩扎，教务长
Dr. 克里斯蒂·戈弗，学生事务主任
Alex Ricker-Gilbert, Athletic Director