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Dear Hornet Community,
Simon Sinek, a European-American author, and inspirational speaker is best known for his 2009 Ted Talk, "How great leaders inspire action." Listened to by over 60 million viewers, Sinek codifies the essential elements of impactful leaders and organizations through his concept of knowing your why, articulating how to achieve your why, and producing our what grounded in our why.
As we begin the spring semester of our academic year and the start of our new 2024 calendar year, I would like to remind our Sacramento State community about our collective why. Almost 60 years ago, on July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act 1964 was signed into law. This act afforded our entire nation, without discrimination, the universal and non-transferable rights: to vote, to a fair trial, to government services, to public education, to gainful employment, to housing, to use public facilities, and the freedom of religion.
The Civil Rights movement led by the visionary, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. captures his why in one of his most repeated speeches, "I Have a Dream." This speech never gets old because it articulates a preferred future of our nation and reminds us of the sacrifices so many people of all ethnicities, genders, and religious beliefs made so that we can live out our why.
Dr. King knew his why, which I believe is clearly articulated in the 4th stanza of his most prolific speech.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by
the content of their character.”
Similarly, on January 27th, we recognize International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But what is a holocaust? Rooted in the ancient Greek language, the word holocaust has two meanings, “burnt offering” and the government-sanctioned mass murder of a large number of people, especially through the use of fire or war. In 1945, “The Holocaust” became synonymous with the genocide of over 6 million European Jews, yet other and sometimes forgotten people such as the gypsies, persons who were LGBT+, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Slavs, and persons with disabilities were also exterminated based on their ethnicity, religious beliefs, and sexual identity.
As a campus, we are committed to working together through our Taskforce on Addressing Antisemitism and Taskforce on Addressing Islamophobia to ensure that we are not complicit in our why. Beginning in January through May, with each 12-15 member taskforce, we will co-construct recommendations to our president to strengthen our campus’ ability to be a safe, welcoming, and productive campus for all.
Finally, our why is rooted and grounded in the spring of 2021, when eighty courageous and committed Sac State campus community members came together to articulate our North Star. This great work was translated into over 30 goals and 200 action steps, the AICP Action Plan. As a result, every spring we host our signature campus-wide AICP event. Please save the date of March 25, 2024, for the Becoming Showcase: Advancing the AICP, in celebration of the remarkable progress that our campus is making toward fulfilling our why of the Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Action Plan (AICAP).
The showcase will be a chance for our campus to share high-impact practices and demonstrate our progress and continued commitment to BECOMING a campus that is antiracism and inclusive. We will highlight research and the many services, programs, campus projects, and initiatives that have been developed, institutionalized, and sustained toward fulfilling the goals of the AICAP. We anticipate over 500 participants, so mark your calendar as the countdown to this grand event starts now! For questions or more information, please email AICP-Showcase2024@csus.edu.
As we observe the federally recognized holiday on January 15th, the birthday of Dr. King, and International Holocaust Day on January 27th, let us remember these whys and recommit to our why as a campus.
In partnership,
Dr. Mia Settles-Tidwell
Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and University Diversity Officer
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