Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Pursuit of Systemic Change
To the Â鶹´«Ã½ community,
Jurors have begun their deliberations in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd. Â鶹´«Ã½, like the rest of the world, is watching. We recognize the injustices that led us here. These injustices continue to deprive too many Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) individuals of their life and full humanity. Tragically, those injustices will not end regardless of the verdict rendered.
Universities, including Â鶹´«Ã½, are and must continue to be instruments for discourse, rigorous debate and lasting change. Teaching, learning and reflection are the gateways for individual and societal transformation. We believe that scholarship, dialogue and activism will be mechanisms that help drive action against all systems that exclude and harm BIPOC individuals.
Through decades of dedication by faculty, staff and students, Â鶹´«Ã½ is unifying its resources and influence to uproot injustices. Our community members continue to advocate to improve our campus, our nation and our world. They lift their voices and continue to call on all of us to be better.
We, as a University, will not stop until our institutional structures are equitable and just. We invite our community to join us in affirming our commitment to the pursuit of systemic change, to reexamine community safety and the carceral state, and to end anti-Blackness, racism and bigotry in all forms.