A Statement of Solidarity and Learning
A Message from the RC Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery.Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Freddie Gray.
These are just the most recent names. Human beings whose lives were destroyed by systemic racism and the pervasive white supremacy that permeates our culture. And while we, the Retriever Courage Faculty Staff Advisory Committee (FSAC) are deeply disturbed, shaken, outraged by the violence taken against Black people on an all-too-frequent basis, it’s not enough to create a simple message. We are in solidarity with those who feel the wrath of this country’s long-standing practices of white privilege, structural racism, and police brutality. UMBC faculty and staff share many qualities, but perhaps the most important of these is the desire to recognize and embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion
Many of UMBC’s academic departments, student services offices, and campus leadership have already provided or are in the process of providing statements demonstrating their solidarity and underscoring the importance of working for the principles that guide our lives. Most UMBC employees share similar morals and values and have long shown their opposition to systemic racism and have made it their business to recognize that Black Lives Matter, that police brutality is real, that the over-incarceration of African-American men and its impoverishment of the Black family is real on many levels and that the denial of equality of opportunity is real. Those of us who benefit from white privilege must do the self-work to practice anti-racism and we must also reach out in support and solidarity to our Black community members.
This Committee’s charge is to provide a voice for, bring forward the concerns of, and share feedback from our constituents regarding sexual and gender-based harassment and violence. The work of Retriever Courage and this Advisory Committee is to ensure that UMBC centers survivors of sexual violence and works to end rape culture on our campus. We must also recognize the ways in which sexual violence is a social justice issue; one predicated on the intersections between systems of oppression like sexism, racism, and transphobia.
While one statement isn’t going to change the world, we implore white-identified and non-Black people of color to join us in the effort to educate ourselves on racism, white supremacy, and its effects. For white-identified community members looking to get started, we encourage you to read this blogpost from Amelia Meman in the Women’s Center on “Learning how to be anti-racist” and to review some scaffolded anti-racism resources collected here by other practitioners in the field of diversity and inclusion. For our Black-identified community members: we see you. We are working to support you. Your life matters.
For more information including events, resources, and information, we encourage you to follow Campus Life’s Mosaic, Interfaith, and Pride Centers. See their post on Black Lives Matter here.
]]>
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery.Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Freddie Gray. These are just the most recent names. Human beings whose lives were destroyed by systemic racism and the pervasive white...
https://courage.umbc.edu/
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/93684/guest@my.umbc.edu/e06e3924be2f8cccc4301406eb05b9a7/api/pixel
Retriever Courage
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/retrievercourage
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/xsmall.png?1543953890
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/original.png?1543953890
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/xxlarge.png?1543953890
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/xlarge.png?1543953890
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/large.png?1543953890
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/medium.png?1543953890
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/small.png?1543953890
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/xsmall.png?1543953890
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/546/1c425b7eeb0c59ed96f91d86812a1887/xxsmall.png?1543953890
Retriever Courage
2
0
true
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 12:25:58 -0400
This Time in America
During this time in America, each of us is faced with the challenge of understanding our position in society and our role in dismantling structural racism.
It is important to say the names on our minds—George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Korryn Gaines, Freddie Gray—and speak out against the police brutality that resulted in their deaths and the deaths of so many other Black people in this country. Action is essential to the future of our society, and action can take many forms, including protest, voting, and publicly acknowledging the pain of others.
It is also important to name the countless other forms of inequality that are just as deadly, including inadequate educational opportunities, lack of living wages and affordable housing, and unequal access to healthcare, healthy food, and high-quality public transportation. It is clear from recent protests across the nation and world that more people of all races and ages are seeing that structural racism permeates our society—our policies, laws, financial institutions, workplaces, academic and faith institutions, and our own actions and inactions. This recognition, while painful to many of us in different ways, should lead to actions that can build a stronger society.
To honor the memory of George Floyd and recognize the powerful emotions so many are feeling at this time, UMBC encourages faculty, staff, and students to pause from business as usual to participate in memorial events for Mr. Floyd and reflect on what we can do as individuals and as a university community to contribute to meaningful and lasting change. The University is offering two hours of release time for those who wish to take time off for this purpose. Please work with your supervisor to schedule that time. We also ask faculty teaching summer courses to be sensitive and accommodating to students who wish to honor Mr. Floyd’s memory and reflect.
Many in our community are asking what actions UMBC is taking now and how we can do more, both as individuals and as a campus. One of the most important things we can do is acknowledge that we as a campus and a community still have much work to do. We must take action, both on campus and through our engagement in the larger community, to address the impact of structural racism and inequality.
Moving forward with “business as usual” without acknowledging the lived experience of Black and other marginalized community members contributes to a pattern of harm for those directly affected. It is also important to learn about the historic roots of white supremacy, structural racism, sexual violence, gender discrimination, and other forms of systematic oppression and marginalization—in the wider world, and on our own campus.
We will continue to communicate to the campus about ways in which we are addressing these issues. Here are some examples of work that is underway.
- The Division of Student Affairs has developed a five-part workshop series focused on equipping faculty and staff with the tools and skills to engage in ongoing advocacy, self-work, and self-care in response to ongoing racial injustice and our current climate. Sessions will be open to faculty and staff across campus.
- There is a new [Free]dom Fridays weekly Webex. This student-centered program is designed to provide a virtual space to have an open dialogue about social justice and identity-based issues.
- The Black Faculty and Staff Association will be holding a Community Care Space for a facilitated discussion focusing on self-care, healing, shared processing, and resource sharing to support community members who may be feeling overwhelmed and angry.
- The Office of Equity and Inclusion has created this resource for Inclusive Excellence in Action, which provides resources for allies who are interested in actively supporting those most directly impacted by systemic racism and recent events.
UMBC was founded in 1966 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Our campus continues to partner with public officials and communities across the state and nation to address societal challenges. Faculty, staff, and students are supporting teachers, children, and families in Baltimore and surrounding school systems; helping young people develop job skills; activating communities to tell their stories through the arts and humanities; using the social sciences to address inequalities resulting from racial status and poverty; and working to address violence and enact criminal justice policy reforms, with special emphasis on youth.
We realize there is much more work for all of us to do. As we grieve over the many lives unjustly lost or limited by racism, we are encouraged by the outpouring of statements of solidarity and caring conversations happening within our campus community and beyond. Recalling Civil Rights protests of the 1960s led by Black children, we are moved to see people of all races and ages around the world risking their health and lives to demand an end to systemic racism. We must not let this opportunity pass.
]]>
During this time in America, each of us is faced with the challenge of understanding our position in society and our role in dismantling structural racism. It is important to say the names on our...
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/93669/guest@my.umbc.edu/d30134bb8adbfdde77693eba03ffdc4e/api/pixel
diversity
UMBC Community News
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/insights
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/xsmall.png?1593096708
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/original.png?1593096708
https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/xxlarge.png?1593096708
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/xlarge.png?1593096708
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/large.png?1593096708
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/medium.png?1593096708
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/small.png?1593096708
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/xsmall.png?1593096708
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/090/56c39666a7bf2e5028d5419fc903e52d/xxsmall.png?1593096708
UMBC Community News
0
0
true
Mon, 08 Jun 2020 13:23:34 -0400
Mon, 15 Jun 2020 10:57:50 -0400
Black Lives Matter: Amplifying Campus Voices
The Library would like to reaffirm
the statement of the larger UMBC campus: "To our Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni: We see you. We support you. Your life matters. UMBC is and always will be a community that rejects racism, bigotry, and inequity in all its forms."
We have been sharing various resources and statements on social media throughout the week and have collected them here. We want to continue this conversation with all of you.
]]>
The Library would like to reaffirm the statement of the larger UMBC campus: "To our Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni: We see you. We support you. Your life matters. UMBC is and always...
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/93636/guest@my.umbc.edu/0d5b727d37226db50459198fe6e94973/api/pixel
active
blacklivesmatter
Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/library
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/xsmall.png?1279120404
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/original.png?1279120404
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/xxlarge.png?1279120404
https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/xlarge.png?1279120404
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/large.png?1279120404
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/medium.png?1279120404
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/small.png?1279120404
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/xsmall.png?1279120404
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/016/854d6fae5ee42911677c739ee1734486/xxsmall.png?1279120404
Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
5
1
true
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 17:06:49 -0400