Dear students,
It has now been a little more than two weeks since George Floyd was brutally murdered by police officers in Minneapolis, and people across the US began marching, protesting and campaigning for change. George Floyd's death follows the deaths of many other Black people at the hands of police, particularly women and trans people. (I encourage you to look at the #SayHerName hashtag on Twitter, created by Kimberlé Crenshaw).
It is also Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan NYC, a hugely significant moment in the gay liberation movement in the United States. Interestingly, activists have draw parallels between the current moment and 1969, pointing to the fact that Stonewall was a "riot", much in the same way that recent events have been described by the media and commentators.
I am writing to you all at this difficult (and, I imagine for many of you, traumatizing) time in order to reiterate my support for each and every one of you, regardless of your sexuality, nationality, gender identity, race/ethnicity, political values or religious beliefs. I also want to echo calls across OU campus and across the US for an end to police brutality and violence against Black people as well as communities of color more broadly, and condemn all forms of discrimination and oppression that many of you may encounter in your lives.
As a board member on two specialty groups of the American Association of Geographers, I have collaborated over the past week or so with other geographers across the US to draft official statements to condemn racism and police brutality, and (more importantly) discussing short and long term actions we will take to address racism in our discipline and our institutions. If you'd like to know more about this, please ask me.
To those of you who self-identify as students of color: please know that I will always advocate for you, and strive to take action to address racism and be a good ally/accomplice on and off campus. Below are some resources that you might find useful for taking care of yourself and your communities during this moment. I found these via The Steve Fund, an organization that promotes the mental health and wellbeing of college students of color:
To those of you who, like me, self-identify as white and/or are interested in better understanding racism and anti-racist scholarship: I encourage you to look for resources to educate yourselves on the history of racism in the United States, and to better understand how you can contribute to supporting anti-racism efforts such as the Black Lives Matter movement. I strive to be anti-racist in my professional and personal life, and this is something I am learning how to do better all the time. This work is never done. Resources for ongoing education include:
There are also many books on these topics. I am happy to provide some recommendations, though the New York Times nonfiction bestsellers list for this week is a great place to start.
Black Lives Matter. In solidarity,
Emma